There's No One Like You- SaitamaxFubuki
by Ore-Summoner
Summary: Saitama, a hero who has become alienated from his humanity, gets a chance to once again restore the humanity he had lost. Through the development of his relationship with Fubuki, he once again discovers human emotion, as he continues to get closer to her. However, unbeknownst to them, their relationship will have everlasting effects on Saitama's once broken limiter
1. Chapter 1- Newbie Crushing

"Hmmm this is odd," thought Fubuki as she rattled the chain-link fence that led to Z city. "This place is known to be uninhabited by people and is a hot spot for monsters, what can a man be doing in a place like this?" she wondered as she stared beyond the fence towards the city the so-called "Caped Baldy" had made his home. Before she could give it more thought, she heard footsteps behind her as her subordinates, the heroes Wild Monkey (Class B, rank 3) and Eyelashes (Class B, Rank 2) approached her.

"You came," Fubuki confirmed as she turned around with her arms crossed as she faced them. "Now let's hit the target's hideout, and remember, at the slightest hint of resistance..."

"Yes, ma'am!" exclaimed Eyelashes and Wild Monkey as they confirmed Blizzard of Hell's plan to crush a newbie attempting to rise up the rankings.

Word had recently spread that an unknown individual was rapidly climbing up the ranking system. The Hero's association system, through constant alerts, let other heroes know of their official ranking status, and even made other Hero's rank and progress public knowledge. Upon confirming that their ranking had not gone down, Blizzard of Hell noticed "Caped Baldy", an individual had gone from a low-class C to a class B rank 7 in a very short time. Fearing having someone surpass her, Blizzard of Hell had organized her right and left-hand subordinates in order to crush the newbie before he got out of hand.

"Let's go," declared Fubuki as she began marching toward her target's home, with her two helpers behind her.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the residence of her "target", Saitama was playing a game he had recently stolen from king while sitting down in his living room. "Master Saitama, you rose to class B, Rank 7, and I have risen to class S, rank 14," celebrated Genos in his usual flat-toned voice while washing the dishes.

"All I did was beat the monsters I stumbled on" replied Saitama absently as he continued to play the game he had recently acquired while at King's place. He had recently been attempting to beat the final boss on a ladder based fighting system but had continuously failed. The problem was that it was on the easiest mode possible, and yet he continued to struggle with it. At this rate, King was going to continue to beat his ass just like had done 2 days earlier. Saitama got annoyed as he remembered how King had given him a handicap by blindfolding himself and only playing with one finger, yet still mopping the floor with despite Saitama's efforts.

"...People are beginning to recognize you, despite you not reporting every monster you defeat. Maybe you will gain a fan club."

"No way, even you don't have one and you're class S," Saitama replied absently as he continued to play his game.

"No, I do"

"NO WAY," Saitama yelled as he lost to the final boss once again while actually paying attention to what Genos had to say. Although he didn't like to admit it, Saitama was annoyed that despite his efforts he was still getting hate notes while Genos seemed to only get good thank you notes. What made it worse was that the Cyborg was so oblivious to fan mail that he seemed to rub it in whenever he read the notes as if they were nothing special while Saitama glared at him with jealousy. He didn't really care about other peoples' opinions about him, but a thank you once in a while would be nice.

Before he could respond, Genos detected rapid movement around the perimeter of the house as something moved beyond super-human speeds towards them. Not wanting to bother his master, who was completely engrossed in his game, Genos walked outside and silently shut the door behind him. "Show yourself," he commanded as a figure landed at end of the corridor of the apartments he and his master resided in.

Speed O' Sound Sonic had been looking for Saitama for a few weeks now, and after running into the Hero Association's records, he had managed to track Saitama's address down so he could have a proper rematch. He felt his crotch gently shake as the trauma it received after being punched by Saitama resurfaced in his memories. He quickly shook it off as he walked towards the demon cyborg, demanding to see Saitama. Genos began to question who he was to the master, to which Sonic arrogantly replied with, "I don't have time for small fries, I'm Saitama's rival and I'm here to settle things." Genos scoffed as he measured up the slender ninja outside his master's home. He didn't want someone to be a nuisance to the great hero that his master was and the simple fact that the weakling in front of him had declared himself to be "his rival" annoyed him.

"Get lost," Genos warned as he raised a glowing hand towards the ninja, "or I'll eliminate you". Sonic swiftly pulled out three shurikens from his belt as he confidently replied: "No that's your fate... sIdEkIcK."

While this was going down Saitama was beginning to get worried. He did not know of the showdown occurring right outside his window and was instead nervously staring at the gamepad he held in his hands as he realized he had erased King's saved progress in the videogame. His fall into despair was quickly interrupted as he heard heavy pounding on his door as someone yelled "Class B rank 7 hero Saitama, we know you live here! Show yourself!" Saitama stared at the door and wondered if he should open it or not. Usually, Genos would open the door in a hurry, but to his surprise, he seemed to be nowhere as he waited for him. The pounding on the door got heavier before Saitama stood up to answer it. He opened the door to see 4 people standing outside his doorway: a giant man with a scrotum for a chin, another man with weirdly long eyelashes, and a woman with a smug look on her face.

"Hello new Hero, I'm Hellish Blizzard. Understand?" stated Fubuki with authority as she looked at the bald man in front of her. Saitama stared back with a black expression which immediately turned into a goofy smile as he said "huh? who?" He really did not know who these people were and at the moment all he wanted to do was get back to his game. Eyelashes began to sweat with annoyance as reprimanded Saitama while telling him, "she's the top-ranking B Class hero." Saitama, with the same goofy smile, stared quietly for a second before saying "oh. Good for her. So?" Seeing that the 3 random people wouldn't leave and that they wanted to greet him, Saitama decided to step outside.

"Sheesh, I really hope these guys leave soon. Maybe I say hi I can go back to playing videogames again," thought Saitama as he stepped outside to fully face the 3 random strangers. Fubuki was instantly annoyed. His attitude so far was unquestionably bothersome, but he was still a threat. His black expression made it clear that he was not interested in speaking to them, but she still had to let him know who was boss. She began to question him on what he knew about factions and rivalry before asking him if he wanted to join her group. She knew that if she got this man to work for her she could secure her ranking and not be surpassed with an idiotic person with such a stupid black expression on his face.

Saitama, upon hearing her request to join her group, thought back to a man who had similarly spoken to him about rankings. All he remembered was that he had a weird snake suit and that he had mentioned something about "newbie crushing" before Saitama one punched him. He looked at the woman who had now just mentioned something similar, and as he did, he realized what she was asking. "Oh, I get it if I don't agree you'll try to hold me back. Are you scared I'll outrank you?"

Fubuki's smug smile instantly faded as he heard the egg-shaped hero said nonchalantly. She found his demeanor more infuriating by the second. Not only does this man fail to recognize who she is, or at least fake not knowing, but he also makes it seem as if he will surpass her. A vein in her temple bulged as she contained her anger. She listened with a serious face as Saitama continued telling them how he would soon go to class A and not knock them out of their ranks. "Give me your answer," she growled as she waited for the caped baldy to sign his death sentence.

"I refuse, heroes shouldn't care about hierarchy"

Time seemed to stop as soon as the words were uttered, and silence instantly settled in the hallways the 4 individuals stood in. Saitama was beginning to feel uncomfortable before the lady in front of him sent her two lapdogs to attack him. As the two men besides the so-called female hero lunged toward him, he simply raised his fist in the air as they were sent flying off the apartment building unto some trash below. Fubuki was left speechless as she witnessed how effortlessly this guy had disposed of her 2subordinatess. She looked down in shuck before softly saying "what the-" before Saitama's black expression turned into a serious one before declaring "you won't last long like that Blizzard."

Fubuki eyed him with anger and determination as she slowly removed the robe her shoulders. "Are you messing with me?" she hissed, earning her a defensive look from Saitama. He really had no idea why these people were looking for trouble if he had never met them before. Meanwhile, Fubuki was beginning to glow as pebbles and rocks begin to swirl around them and move and increasingly rapid speed. Saitama looked at all the rocks and unimpressed before realized that if "Blizzard" let out an attack his house could get destroyed. "You gonna attack me with rocks and pebbles? No don't" he said before Fubuki swung her arms forward and hit him a barrage of debris as she yelled "HELLSTORM".

Saitama was immediately sucked into a small tornado and thrown out the building. The tornado accelerated in speed as more debris was sucked in, while Fubuki gently floated towards the street. She thought about what a devastating an attack she had let out and almost felt bad for killing the baldy who had dared defy her.

"You're too hysterical for the top," came behind her as she realized that the man was still alive. "You won't last long. You don't understand heroes," Saitama stated matter-of-factly as his face hovered mere inches from Fubuki's while threating her with a punch she could not possibly have blocked in time.

"The world is full of savage villains...and heroes face them...even alone if necessary. You gather underlings for strength but someday you'll face an opponent so strong that they won't help. Factions!? Preying on newbies!? Securing your rank!? None of that matters! Don't diss heroes that way!"

Fubuki thought for a split second about her sister before she summoned another wave of her psychic powers to crush Saitam between two rocks while screaming at him that he would not take her position. She felt something push against her ability as Saitama jumped out of the rocks effortlessly. She used the energy she had already gathered and focused it all on Saitama to blow him away. This momentarily worked before he caught his footing, breaking the concrete below him as he regained his footing. Fubuki did not let down, however, as she released a torrent of rocks and psychic power towards the bald man that was somehow resisting her power. She was growing desperate, she was quickly running out of options and if she didn't end this man quickly, he could very well win the fight. As she pushed a last barrage of rocks towards him, she ran forward, knife in hand to finish him.

Saitama had until now taken all her hits and was even prepared to take her next attack before he finally noticed Genos and Sonic getting ready to clash behind his opponent. Fubuki failed to see this, as with tears in her eyes as she rushed towards Saitama. Her sister again popped in her mind as she remembered for an instant how inferior her older sister Tatsumaki made her feel in terms of power. She had all but given up competing against powerhouses like the ones certain A class members like Sweet Masks, or even the S class heroes. She knew she was not strong enough to compete with them, and now, a random bald hero who had come out of nowhere was threating to leave her in the dust as well. As her knife was about to hit him, a flash ingulfed them as a huge explosion blew out right behind her.

As the dust settled, Fubuki began to gather her bearings. She did not know if she had managed to kill Saitama before the explosion. As the dust cleared around her, she stared in shock as she noticed the Demon Cyborg himself standing before her. As blood trailed down her face, she remained in shock while considering the possibilities of running into such a powerful individual.

"Master Saitama, sorry about the dust," Genos pointed out as he noticed his master standing near him. Saitama looked around in worry as he saw that the explosion had done severe damage to its surroundings. His major concern was his house as he wasn't exactly full of money.

While Saitama was left worrying about his house Fubuki notice the ground around him. It was apparent that the explosion hadn't really reached her based on the amount of damage she had received. But most importantly...what left her the most shocked was that around Saitama, the ground was destroyed with an imprint of what looked like to be his frame. She gazed up in stunned silence as she realized he had taken the full hit of the blast...yet he did not seem fazed in the slightest. But wait, had she heard Demon Cyborg call him...master? She immediately asked how they were connected or even knew each other before Genos told her that Saitama was his master and he was Saitama's pupil. "Pupil? But he's class B..." she stammered.

Genos focused his gaze upon the woman who lay on her knees before his expression turned cold. "You are Hellish Blizzard...I see, so you came to squelch master Saitama, but he has reduced you to near death."

Saitama immediately responded with a dead-pan face, "no that was your blast."

Genos, realizing his mistake and how Fubuki had attained her injuries in the first place was about to apologize when something exploded on the back of his head. Sonic had appeared, landing swiftly on the ground as he exclaimed that he would kill Saitama's pupil. While Saitama let out an inward sigh after realizing his annoying "rival" had appeared, Fubuki couldn't help but continue being overwhelmed. She started recalling everything that had happened in the last few minutes. She remembered how easily Saitama had beat her subordinates and how he had seemingly tanked all of her attacks without trouble. Adding on to that she had discovered that the same man she had set out to crush was the master of the S class hero Demon Cyborg himself. It was honestly too much for her to handle. "There's something wrong with that man, there's no way he can be in B class yet be the master of an S class hero. But yet... he is so strong. And now even this individual seems to seek him out as well?" She gazed at Speed O' Sound sonic before realizing how he seemed to radiate such murderous intent and skill before he and Demon Cyborg disappeared before her very eyes. She lost track of both fighters as they began to accelerate and fight at speeds she could not even follow.

Meanwhile, Saitama gazed in wonder and curiosity as he saw that his pupil was moving a lot faster than when they sparred. He held his chin in his hand while thinking, "I wonder if Genos could beat him," as he saw his pupil continuously accelerate and even outmaneuver Sonic. He glanced at Fubuki to see that she was okay and noticed how she seemed in shock at what was happening in front of her. "As long as she's not bothering me it's fine I guess." He looked back towards the fight to see that Sonic had gained the upper hand and that in a last-ditch effort Genos had thought of blowing up all of his surroundings. In an instant, Saitama rushed forward and knocked Genos down as Sonic delivered and missed his attack.

Fubuki, who had been looking at the fight the whole time, was lost as she could not see what was happening. Besides ordinary pauses, her eyes simply could not catch up. As she looked to see if Saitama could do so, she realized he was gone, and as she looked at the fight, she realized he had somehow appeared in the middle of it. "But how..." she whispered as she witnessed how the bald hero had somehow saved Demon Cyborg and even begun lecturing him.

"Genos are your new parts for a street scuffle? You have no reason to fight. Sonic wants me right? You're persistent so I'll fight you seriously. Bring it on."

"I've been waiting for this! I've developed the ultimate technique just for you!"

Fubuki saw that the baldy and the ninja with inhuman speed now seem to be interested in each other. "They've been completely ignoring me, so I should stay out of this right?" She wondered if the caped baldy would actually be able to do something against such a fast opponent, but this idea soon vanished as she suddenly saw the ninja create ten after images of himself as he accelerates into speeds a normal person never could.

"Tenfold Funeral!"

Genos was stunned as he saw that the ninja had the ability to create so many afterimages as moved. "Ten afterimages!? He must have trained like crazy," he worried in his mind. Heat bubbled up inside him as he realized that during their fight, the ninja had simply let the cyborg outpace him because he was not taking him seriously. But now he saw that this street thug was capable of so much more. The ten afterimages quickly approached his master Saitama as he stared seriously as his opponent. Genos knew this attack would not be enough when considering master Saitama's power. A few feet away, Fubuki worried as she saw the ninja about to strike. She shook as she realized that this ninja had the power of an S class hero. "Saitama is only a B class hero, he shouldn't be able to keep up she worried, but..."

Suddenly, Saitama, who had clenched his muscles for only a second, unleashed his killer move: serious series sideways jumps. Hundreds of afterimages appeared as Genos, Fubuki, and even Sonic himself opened their mouths in disbelief as Saitama simply bulldozed past Ninja.

Sonic was on the floor gasping for air as he managed to let out, "W-What did you just...KOFF."

Saitama who had acquired his now blank expression as he realized how much of a waste time of time had been looked back. "All I did was sideways jump past you," he murmured as he walked away.

"Is he dead?" asked Genos as his master approached him.

"NO, I didn't KILL him!" Saitama replied with a panicked expression as he began walking to his apartment.

Meanwhile, Fubuki continued to stare at the bald man's back as she processed what had just happened before her very eyes. She had seen how despite the ninja's overpowering speed, Saitama had managed to surpass that very seem by over a hundred times. She stared as Sonic as she replayed Siatama's words in her mind, "All I did was side jumps past you." Her eyebrows furrowed as she contemplated what this meant. "He's too strong. It isn't normal." Fubukistood after she saw that Siatam had stopped and looked back at her.

"So will you leave me alone now? I'd like to keep my house intact, and I also don't want to have to pay to have my costume restitched" he stared blankly as he gazed at Fubuki.

Genos began lighting up his palms to deliver an attack, "Master do wish me to make this woman disappear from your sight?"

Fubuki tensed up as she saw that the cyborg was in a hostile mood and seemed prepared to attack her. To her surprise, Saitama simply said, "No Genos, I think she'll leave us alone now. You look like your hurt yourself, do you need something?"

Fubuki stared wide-eyed as she looked at the bald hero. Not only had she begun a fight with him to crush him, but he had also somehow protected her despite even that, and now he was offering her help? At that moment her sister cam into her mind once more. Despite being so overwhelmingly strong, this man was not what she imagined him to be. Not only did he seem like a normal person that could blend in a crowd, but he didn't use his strength against other people as well. In comparison her sister would always diminishing others for being so "weak," her sister included. As numerous thoughts began to cloud her mind she felt the need to let out what had always been bothering her with some.

"I guess I could appreciate a towel to clean myself. Maybe we can even share some tea while we talk?"

Saitama looked up in confusion before he realized that this woman now intended to bother him in his own home. "On second thought maybe you should go hom-" he stammered as Fubuki walked past him."

Fubuki smiled as she looked at Saitama and said, "I'll pay you for it."

Saitama stared at her for a bit while thinking if maybe he should make an excuse to avoid talking to this smug woman. He already had enough on his plate with Genos always writing notes on all of his daily activities. Maybe she even wants to become my pupil. Saitama facepalmed his face in his mind as he decided to say no if she even asked that question. Saitama then thought about how he had nothing to do for the rest of the day... maybe it wouldn't hurt to talk to this woman. "Ok" he replied as he began walking to his apartment, with Genos and Fubuki walking close behind him.


	2. Chapter 2- Strength Means Everything

Fubuki replayed the earlier events in her head as she, Saitama, and Genos approached the bald hero's apartment. As she stared at the back of Saitama's head, she couldn't help but wonder how he had become so powerful. While she let out everything she had unto him, Saitama had not seemed to react. To top it off, he managed to intercept a blast Genos, an S class hero, had let out right behind her, and remain unscathed. And to top it off he easily overwhelmed a dangerous ninja who had the potential to be S class as well.

Such power was definitely deserving of someone to rise high within the elite heroes. But yet, why was he in class B? And why was a new person, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, shown her that there were still more people out there who more powerful than her? Waves of anxiety crashed against her as she thought of her sister Tatsumak-

"So... Why exactly are you in class B rank 1 when you could easily climb higher?" asked Saitama as he opened the door to his house and allowed both her and Genos to walk through.

"It's no-"

"Make sure to keep your story within 3 sentences," warned the Demon Cyborg as he glared at her and seemed to glow as he ignited his chest and fists, "he is a very patient man but he still has better thing to do th-"

"Genos, cut it out man, just let her talk, I want to hear what she has to say and why she attacked me," cut it Saitama as he sat cross-legged style on his living room floor while grabbing his Gameboy (which was actually King's.

Geno's gasped in surprise before pulling a notepad out of nowhere and beginning to write the words of wisdom that Saitama had unknowingly said in his request.

Fubuki simply stared with a confused face at went on between both man and cyborg before she decided to sit down next to Saitama. It was clear that Genos praised Saitama. Maybe if she could do something to sway Saitama into joining her group, her group would definitely be a lot stronger as Genos would also follow. As she got comfortable, she looked at Saitama as she began to answer his question.

"I could never be number 1. In regards to my intelligence, physical strengths, practical smarts, and even psychic ability I could have been at the top...if it wasn't for her."

Saitama momentarily glanced up and look at Fubuki with confusion as he wondered who she meant.

"My older sister is the strongest esper... Tornado of Terror...Because of her, I could never be number 1," murmured Fubuki as she thought of the large gap that existed between her and her older sister. She thought about how next to her sister, Fubuki's abilities were that of a child...and now a new person had appeared that humbled her and shown what she already knew: she couldn't compete with true power. Fubuki looked down at her hands with sadness. She felt so weak and despite her hard work, it didn't seem to close the gap between her and her sister. She began to tremble as she contemplated how meaningless everything was.

"But that witch- I mean, Terrible Tornado is class S. Why don't you aim to become rank 1 in the A-class?" asked Genos. "You have the skills for it."

"That's impossible, although I could climb high in class A, I could never be rank 1. There's Bushi Drill, Okama Itachi, and Ia-Ian. Despite their strength, they can never surpass Amai Mask, aka handsome Kamen." Fubuki lowered her head in silence as she dismissed the possibility of even becoming Class A rank 2 when considering the powerhouses that made up A class. Genos stared at her with pity and interest, but meanwhile, Saitama continued to play his video game. Despite his usual lack of interest and his blank expression, he had been listening sporadically. As he picked up as a "Taiyo Man" manga, he began to read, while in another city a fight was breaking loose.

* * *

"Suppon" had recently gained consciousness after the ice he had been suspended in, thawed, returning him to life. Sweet Mask had been informed that the supposed monster had been spotted attacking civilians at random in the city. As he walked down the street, he noticed the being crushing the skulls of two people and dropping him as he noticed him approaching.

"You escaped the laboratory and began harming people. The hero association asked me to take you in alive... but I'm not that soft," Amai Mask declared as he brushed some lint off his shoulder. The monster Suppon growled before pouncing on the S class hero, clawing him in a fury, but hitting nothing. Sweet mask appeared behind him, and with a crippling low kick broke both of the monster's knees. Suppon let out a scream before he felt two fingertips on his cheek.

"Quiet down," is all he heard before Sweet Mask crushed his skull and creating a mess of the monster's insides. A demon level threat had been annihilated in mere seconds.

* * *

"Some monsters defy common understanding. You're monstrous, but not like handsome Kamen and my sister. And then there are monsters among monsters! Like King, the strongest man! And Blast, who stands atop the entire world," Fubuki said softly, with a dead look in her eyes. "It's difficult to move up alone, what's wrong with forming a faction? she said as she pointed at Saitama.

Without even looking at Fubuki, Saitama promptly said "Nothing. But I won't join you."

Fubuki was taken aback as she stared at Saitama. Her mood dropped even more after hearing the lack of hesitation in his response. She knew that he was strong, and he might even surpass her, but that did not mean she would give up in recruiting him. She tightened her grip on her arms as she looked at him.

"Hmph! Refuse my invitation just because you're a little strong. You'll never reach the top!"

A sudden knock broke up the tense moment that had developed in the living room. Fubuki quickly regained her composure before Saitama's eyes moved away from his manga for the first time to see who it was.

"Hey Saitama, did you take my video game?"

King walked in looking around until his eyes fell on Saitama. The bald hero had saved his hide several times and he owed him not only his life but his fame as the strongest hero. They had developed a friendship shortly after King decided to tell Saitama the truth and revealed how he was not a hero. Instead of becoming angered like he had every right due to having all his credit stolen, Saitama simply told him to get stronger, and that he would return to play videogames with him. After that, they would regularly play at each other's houses. But on multiple occasions, his video game would disappear, and he knew the only person who could have possibly done that.

Fubuki was completely caught by surprise and she could not do anything other than stare at King in shock. While King and Saitama began talking about the game, all Fubuki could do was stare. "Why is a class-S hero hanging out with a B-class hero?" she wondered. She stared at Saitama in wonder as she began to understand...that maybe...this normal looking man had so much more to him than she could possibly understand. Her eyes widened with hope as she continued to stare at him "Maybe I could join them..."

Meanwhile, Genos, who had been particularly silent, looked at Fubuki. He caught her staring at master Saitama with an almost child-like expression, but he understood. His master was strong, and because of that, he attracted strong people. He continued to analyze how Fubuki stared at his master before he began writing down notes.

Fubuki's mouth curved in a slight smile. Maybe it had been fate that she met this hero. There had to be something behind his strength, but while they were together, Fubuki knew that she could rise higher than she had before. Saitama's words, "someday you'll face an opponent so strong that your underlings won't help!" Her eyes lit up with determination. If she managed to get closer and work with Saitama, she never had to worry about that. She knew that one day, she could finally overcome her sister Tatsuamaki.

* * *

A-class hero Tank Top Vegetarian, rank 9, lay on the floor coughing up blood and wheezing for breath as a figure stood over him. As he struggled to get up, he felt the blows that the random punk had struck him with. His body wouldn't react and all he could do was look up in pain and fear.

"Urghh... what's your problem? I'm an A-class hero!"

"I just stumbled across you by chance, but you disappoint me."

"Huff...hufff... you'll find out what happens when you cross hero-"

A loud strike was heard across the alleyways of the city as the tank top hero was finished off with a blow. Garou snickered as he casually walked into the street. His shadow was cast on the figure lay unconscious on the floor, in grace condition. As he looked back, with a huge smile planted on his face, he jubilantly said, "I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

As Fubuki left Saitama's apartment she couldn't help but get overwhelmed with stray thoughts in her head. Despite having originally set out to crush someone who posed a threat to her and her rank... she found someone that went beyond her expectations. Despite being in class B, Saitama was powerful, there was no doubting that. The strangest thing was that S class heroes visited his home as if it were something normal...it was unheard of. As she continued walking down the street towards her home she couldn't help but look around her. This man had chosen to live in a place that was completely deserted. It was clear that there had been various run-ins with monsters judging by the destroyed buildings around her. She grabbed her chin and furrowed her eyebrows, trying to connect the dots. Maybe this man had made his home in the heart of the battlefield to get stronger through that, nevertheless, his total unwillingness to join her group made her want him even more. She bit her thumb as she thought about his stupid face. There was hope for her yet.

"Sensei, you should really consider being careful when speaking to that woman. Who knows what her goals are. She might even want to become your disciple and live in your apartment."

Saitama scrunched up his face and looked at Genos. "You know, coming from you that's a very convincing argument. That Blizzard seems to be held back by her sister. She has the potential of being a storm herself. She'strong, all she has to do is let her worries about rankings go away so she can keep getting even stronger."

Genos immediately pulled out his notepad. "Even when speaking hypothetically he never abandons his ideals."

With a serious face, Saitama continued, "Her powers are just extras, without the proper spirit or confidence, she'll never rise."

"Such words of wisdom," Genos desperately said as he filled out an entire paper with his master's words. "Say, master, if Fubuki begins to train, do you think that she can even get to your level? And if so will go bald as well?"

Saitama paused for a second before his face was swallowed by shadows as he seemed to slouch.

"It appears master Saitama continues to be very sensitive about his bal-"

"OK, that's enough, just leave my head alone!"

Saitama walked into his room where he removed his work clothes and took a quick shower. After he was done he lay down in his bed. He stared at the ceiling for a while, bored out of his mind. Today had been a strange day. He found it a little annoying that Sonic was still going after his head, and that now he and Genos had a bone to pick with each other. And there was the Blizzard girl. He felt kind of bad for her for giving herself such a hard time. What sucked, even more, was that her apparent rivalry with her little, but older sister seemed to crush her aspirations. Maybe if he had the time he would help her figure things out he thought before he finally went to sleep out of boredom.


	3. Chapter 3- A Monster Among Us

A Monster Among Us

Early the next day, after constantly shifting in her bed, Fubuki decided to get ready to head out. She hadn't been able to get much sleep the previous night. Soon after arriving at the edge of the city where she had originally entered by cutting the chain link fence, she met Eyelashes and Wild Monkey. After assuring them and reassuring that she was fine, they walked together to the blizzard headquarters so they could heal their body and their pride. After cleaning her wounds and taking a bath Fubuki tried to rest and clear her mind, but the day had taken its toll on her. As she moved from one side of the bed to the other, unable to sleep stood up and walked to her balcony. As she stared at the stars in the night, Tatsumaki came in her mind.

"All you are doing is holding yourself back by associating yourself with those weaklings. It's embarrassing seeing how weak you're becoming because of them!"

Fubuki gripped the rail of her balcony while gritting her teeth. When Saitama had told her the same thing, she couldn't do anything but remain silent and try to find a way to respond back. Who was he to judge her or even compare himself to her? Fubuki shook her head and her body tensed up as she recalled her recent operations as a hero. She had become so focused on maintaining her rank and ensuring that while her members rose in rank, they remained below her. She had resorted to bullying those that denied or even posed a minimum threat to joining her Blizzard group, and all in her mission to surpass her sister. But...what if she was wrong?

Tatsumaki's strength was on a whole other level, surpassing her would be no easy feat. Fubuki's lips trembled as she wondered what she could do. It was true that she was limiting herself by remaining in class B, but she knew at the same time that if she tried to raise her rank she would encounter other heroes whose power could eclipse her own. However... Saitama could change that. Her eyes squinted as she tried to remember something she had chosen to ignore. When she was staring at Saitama while laying down in his living room, she had unknowingly surrounded him with her psychic ability. As a psychic, Fubuki knew that her power was the ability to manipulate the energy around an object or even a person. Everything and everyone had this sort of "aura" or "chi" around them that a psychic could manipulate, and when she sought it out in Saitama she could remember encountering an indomitable flow of energy flowing from him. Tatsumaki had similar energy surrounding her...did this mean...?

Fubuki smiled with determination as she lay down in her bed once again. No matter what it took, Saitama was going to work with her. With his help, she was sure she could make the blizzard group known as the strongest, and only then would her older sister no longer oppress her.

"Where are you heading out Ms. Fubuki?"

"Do you nee any escorts?"

"Is there a new monster that requires us to work together to beat?"

"Do you want to go teach the baldy a lesson?"

Fubuki smiled as she told her group that she would be fine and that she preferred to head out alone. Where she was going to was obvious. She had to get Saitama to join them, and the only way she would do that would be to convince them. As she arrived at Saitama's apartment she was surprised to see King standing outside his door. "Again, just what kind of relationship do they have?" thought Fubuki as she quietly observed the man be as "The Strongest Man on Earth." She stepped back as she could hear his King engine roaring.

"Saitama I can't open the door, I've been pulling on it for 10 minutes why can't you just open it for me!?"

"For the hundredth time, you're not pulling on it hard enough, I'm busy setting up our game!"

King was openly frustrated as he kept pulling on the door while whining, "It won't budge. Did you replace it with a door that's really durable in case your monsters come into your hou-."

Fubuki cleared her throat as she nervously smiled. As King looked behind him and notice her he shrieked. Fubuki screamed at the sudden reaction and they were both breathing hard from fear. But in Fubuki's mind, King had gotten into a defensive stance, his muscles tightening as he prepared to pounce on her. King, on the other hand, was just happy he hadn't pissed his pants at the sudden noise.

"Maybe I can help you with the door," said Fubuki as she gently grasped the doorknob and pushed. King's face immediately turned beet red as he realized that he hadn't tried opening the door the other way and that on her first try Fubuki had managed to do so."

As they both walked in they saw that Saitama was laying down on his floor playing video games and gritting his teeth while fighting a bot. As the computer overwhelmed and beat him, Saitama smashed his head against the floor and began throwing a tantrum. As he heard Fubuki and King come closer he looked up at them.

"Hey, King I was just getting the game ready! This time I'm definitely gonna mop the floor with you."

"Dude, were you seriously playing the whole time while I was stuck outside?"

Saitama nervously rubbed the back of his head while he made an apologetic expression. Then he shifted his attention to Fubuki. "Uhhhh why are you in my apartment," he asked with a confused expression?"

"U-umm I just wanted to see if you were okay from yesterday..." stammered Fubuki as she was caught off guard.

Saitama gave her a puzzled expression. "Well I am, you can go if you want now."

"Actually I just came to talk to you!" At this point, Fubuki's face was hot from the embarrassment from not coming out of an excuse to even go to Saitama's apartment, at this rate he would never join her group.

Suddenly Saitama's blank expression disappeared as he noticed the cookies Fubuki had with her. He looked at her and smiled "Ok then you can stay!"

Fubuki, not noticing that he had looked at the cookies let go of her breath as she relaxed. As she and King made to sit down next to Saitama, Genos appeared from outside the kitchen. He stared at Fubuki asked "What do you want with Master today? I hope you're not looking to bother him because this time I fill incinerate you if you do."

Fubuki glared at him annoyed. "I just came here to talk, I even brought cookies. Can you place warm up some tea?"

"Just because Saitama generously allowed to be his guest does not mean you can order me aroun-".

"Genos can you please warm up some tea? I'm kind of hungry and I want to hear what she has to say," he said excitedly as he stared at Fubuki.

"Yes, Master!" saluted Genos as he jumped over King, who had started playing video games.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

As Saitama stood up to open the door, he was surprised to see a kid with orange hair outside of his home. "Jeez why is everyone starting to come to my apartment lately?" he thought as he closed the door. There was another wave of knocking as soon as the door closed. Saitama had an annoying blank look on his face as he opened it once again.

"Ummm who are you?"

"I'm Charanko, Master Bangs pupil!" responded a bandaged up the boy as he looked at Saitama with sadness in his eyes. "Master Bang kicked me out of his dojo after beating me up. Please, I don't know what to do."

Saitama stared at Charanko for a second before inviting him to sit down and talk with them. As Genos reappeared, he set down the tea for master Saitama's guests to drink at their leizure.

Genos and Fubuki stared in silence and shock as they saw how injured Silver Fang's pupil was and how hard it was for him to sit down. Fubuki was surprised Saitama had let the young boy in. Being gentle was not a skill that she thought Saiatam had when regarding his strength. She shot a quick glimpse at Saitama before Genos faced her and she quickly turned her head away.

Genos stared at Fubuki for a few seconds in curiosity before facing Charanko. "Why are you injured?"

"He beat me up while sparring. He's usually so kind but...something's going on! I don't know why he acted like this all of a sudden. You hang out with him so I thought you would know what's going on," Charanko moaned desperately as he sated at the group sitting in front of him. "Why are there so many heroes here?" he wondered.

Fubuki cocked her head to the side and while munching on a cookie asked, "Bang? Do you mean SilverFang in class S?"

Saitama, while trying to think of why the old man would act that way, simply stared at Charanko. He ignored King when he asked him if he wanted to play video games.

Genos frowned and his eyes lit up. "I do not know. But I have a feeling that Garou the Human Monster is involved." Charanko flinched at the mention of the name. There had been mentions of that name...a former who student of Silver Fang who had gone crazy and beat up other students in the dojo before disappearing. While breaking out in a cold sweat Charanko simply stared at Genos. "HE went wild at the dojo and master Bang cast him out. But why is he involved!?"

Genos looked down, his eyes, hidden behind his hair before he looked up again, with a serious look on his face. "You are his pupil but yet he didn't tell you. A warrant has been issued by the Hero Association, and Bang has volunteered to capture him."

"Wait, Garou's a monster? I thought he was human!?" panicked Charanko.

"There has been an accident at head-quarters, but the association has kept it quiet. If the conflict grows civilians can be in danger, Bang might not want you involved," Genos said matter-of-factly.

Charanko, nearly chocked as he heard that. He was sweating bullets and was shaking. "...Really? Master Bang... Was I...holding him back? Garou was his top pupil, is he really that dangerous now?" he thought in his mind. As he grabbed a fistful of his hair and looked at his feet, Genos looked at his master.

"Master Saitama, what do you think about Bang's actions?"

Saitama was pensively putting his fist against his chin as he tried to wrap his mind around it. "I'm not that close to the geezer..." he thought. "Silver Fang, huh? That's a good hero name. But I'm stuck with 'Caped Baldy'?" Suddenly, his face got serious as he looked at Charanko.

"The one thing that does puzzle me... who are you?" he asked with a completely confused look in his face. While Genos began to inform him about who the boy was, Fubuki stared at their comedic behavior, she couldn't help but worry. "Is hanging with these guys really my best hope?"

Charanko suddenly stood up and thanked the group. "Thank you so much, I'll be taking my leave now! I'm going to find Master Bang and ask him if he'll let me join him!" He ran almost desperately to the door and closed it behind him as Saitama and the others stared at him.

"I really hope the kid's okay. It sucks that the old man went into him like that. Maybe he was scared that the Garou guy could kill his pupil since he's really weak." He began digging into his ear before picking up the video game controller and playing with King. Fubuki decided that it was time to try and convince Saitama about joining her group but her small window of opportunity seemed to have closed as Saitama only seemed to tune her out and ignore what she had to say. While approaching the question of if he'd like to join her group he simply said "no", before yelling growling as King beat him once again. Fubuki was frustrated that she was being ignored, so, while maintaining her composure stood up and said her goodbyes. As she walked outside of the apartment, she couldn't help but stay angry. She had one again failed in recruiting the bald hero. As she walked back to headquarters she continued to think of ways to make him join. She smiled as an idea popped into her head. Maybe she couldn't force him or even convince him into joining her. But she could certainly trick him...

* * *

As Mumen saw a figure appear in front of him he pressed his bike's pedals as hard as he could, forcing it to skid to a halt. As an owl flew from one tree to the next, a quick shadow covered the moonlight that was faintly reflecting off the man that stood in his path.

"You must be a hero... so it's hunting time!"

Mumen Rider stared at the man in confusion. "I'm Mumen Rider. What's this about hunting? Are you not one of my fans?"

Garou, the man who stood in front of him, a sneer forming on his face as he raised one of his hands up menacingly as he growled, "Help me become a true monster!" As he looked at the hero, with an evil smile on his face he began getting filled a perverse joy. "The more heroes I defeat, the more monstrous I'll become!"

"We found you!"

"Is it really him?"

"You were easy to find!"

Garou looked behind him as he heard a chorus of voices. "Huh?"

Tank Top Vegetarian walked towards him. A bandage on his face as living proof of the beat down he had received at the hands of the punk in front of him. "We owe you one for the other da-!"

He was interrupted as his face rippled as a strike hit him directly in the face. As he fell down, the bandage flying off his face, he was knocked unconscious.

"You must want payback Tank-Top Vegetarian?" asked Garou flexed his muscles in preparation of a fight. "I spared your life and now you want to throw it away!? Too bad, I'll kill your muscle head buddies too! Die!"

As he lunged forward the tank top heroes recoiled in shock before Garou was repelled and thrown back from a powerful impact. As he flew back, he pushed his feet against the floor, breaking concrete as he forced himself to stop. "WHAT!?" was all he could think before seeing who had pushed him back.

With a large veiny fist releasing steam from the blow, Tank Top Master stared angrily at Garou. "You hurt my follower" was all he said before preparing himself for another strike. Garou looked up in excitement at the idea of fighting an S class hero before Tank Top Master punched the ground. As a wave of concrete moved towards Garou, shaking the ground as a result of the hero's punch, he lost his footing. Before he could recover, Tank Top master bull-rushed him and threw him into the air with his signature attack "Tank-Top Tackle!" All the tank top heroes began to celebrate their master's victory as Garou flew in the air flipping out of control.

"There it is! Master's Tank-Top Tackle!"

"This move has put countless monsters in the grave!"

"That punk will never touch the tank-toppers again!"

Their celebration died down as Garou regained his balance and flipping in the air, now in control, before landing once again on the ground. All the tank-toppers opened their eyes wide in fear as they saw that Garou had somehow withstood the blow. As Tank Top Master focused completely on his opponent, he knew that he was going to be trouble. "Is he even human?" he wondered as Garou looked up, smiling at him while blood caked his face.

* * *

"Bang are your affairs in order?"

"I don't have family and neither do you," Bang responded as he looked at his brother.

Bomb scoffed as he looked back at his younger brother, a vein popping on his forehead, "Don't be ridiculous. I said goodbye to hundreds of pupils."

"Abandoning everything to help me is magnanimous of you, older brother."

"Hmph! Garou would have come for my dojo sometime anyway. Let's go!" Bomb punched his hand and began popping his fingers as he walked with a mission in mind. As Bang followed, all he could say was, "Yes, but proceed with caution. We cannot imagine how strong he is now. This is serious."

* * *

"Oops! I just used fist of flowing water, smashed rock!" jeered Garou as he used technique and power to pound a flurry a blows into Tank Top Master's body. "It reminds me of that old man, so I wanted to avoid it. But oh well there's no need to be picky," he snickered as a final blow cracked a concrete wall as he punched the hero's head through it.

The tank top heroes jumped back as they saw the destructive ability the man in front of them had, as he stood in front of their fallen master. As Tank Top struggles to remain on even his knees, every muscle in his body screaming in pain, he looked up at a smiling Garou. "He hid his true power!?"

"A Class-S hero on his knees!" laughed Garou as he looked at the S class hero with glee. Tank Top master tried standing up but he realized his body wouldn't respond. All he could do was stall for time so that he could recover and hopefully beat up the man that was causing all the trouble. "Hmph! Don't be ridiculous! I was just a little surprised."

Garous laughed as he realized that Tank Top master hadn't even realized how hopeless the situation was and that he had also failed to recognize him. "AHAHAHA! Oh Really! Well, then I'll surprise you more. Sit there and watch... as Garou The Monster eradicates your entire crew!"

Tank Top master's blood ran cold as he realized who he faced. "GAROU!? The Human Monster?" he thought as his eyes open wide in fear. As he saw Garou begin walking away, all he could do was scream, "W-wait! Don't touch them!" before he saw Mumen Rider fly over him with his bike.

"JUSTICE CRASH!"

Garou sidestepped the hero before extending out his hand and grabbing Mumen Rider's head before slamming it against the concrete. A sickening crunch could be heard as he continued smashing his head against the concrete until his helmet cracked and broke. As Garou raised the rider's head, Mumen Rider's face could be seen pooling blood out of it, unconscious.

"See this? Now it's your turn!" Garou said as he smiled and began walking towards the tank-toppers. He stopped as he heard "GAROOOOO!" before he dodged a giant fist by moving his head to the side and responding with a blow of his own to Tank Top MAster's head.

"I'm a genius, so I'm on to your style. I'm done with you tank-top master. Now to clean up you lot!"

As all the tank toppers began to receive the beat down of their life. Charanko remained hidden behind a push, shaking with terror as he saw what Garou was capable of. He saw as he continued crushing every Tank Topper in his path and panicked as he thought about what he could do. As his old master appeared in his mind, he jumped over the bush he was hiding at approaching Garou. "That's enough dojo defiler, take this! Fist Of Flowing Water, Crushed Rock!-"

* * *

As Bang and Bomb inspected the slaughter that occurred in a random street, Bang couldn't help but blame himself for what had happened. He had trained Garou thinking he would be a worthy successor... unknowingly arming a monster for future fights against people. He was just thinking that he was glad he had kicked Charanko out before he hurt as he recognized a face that belonged to a body that lay on the floor with the rest.

"Charanko..."


	4. Chapter 4- The Contest

"Amongst these groups, no other faction can work as efficiently as the Blizzard Group. Under the command of Miss Blizzard, we corner the monsters and defeat them. The Labor Division ensures that your rank does not drop," Eyelashes stated as he lectured a disinterested Saitama. His forehead's veins starting bulging as he realized that Saitama wasn't even paying attention to him. "You should be really grateful Miss Blizzard wants you on the team...hey are you even listening?"

"This guy is playing video games under the desk!" yelled a muscular member of the blizzard group as he looked at Saitama's hands

Saitama looked up in boredom as his game was rudely interrupted once again. "This again? Aren't you getting tired of this?" he asked with innocent disinterest.

Every member of the Blizzard Group tensed up in anger as the Bald Hero completely disrespected their group and Fubuki by completely ignoring their invitation to their operations. While Saitama was receiving a lesson of how they operated, Fubuki simply stared at, her hand on her chin and her crossed over the other as she was deep in thought. Fubuki had managed to convince Saitama into coming to her headquarters by simply calling him to "handle a situation that only someone of his strength could handle." Saitama had immediately taken the bait, not having anything to do and looking for a fight. After saying he would be there immediately, Fubuki had smiled to herself since everything was going to her plan. Once Saitama was let inside the building, he instantly started to receive information and incentives that could put him under command.

However, Saitama appeared to be as stubborn as he was strong. He had completely ignored everyone and everything until now, and the only reason he hadn't left was that he didn't want to be rude.

"Miss blizzard! Why are you being so patient with this guy?" asked one of her subordinates.

Another added, "We've got everyone here, if we gang him up all at once, we might be able to beat him..."

Fubuki remained quiet and continued to stare at him. She dismissed the idea of even bringing up newbie crushing in the presence of Saitama as it was clear he despised the idea of a hero bullying another. Besides that, his overwhelming strength could easily overpower everyone. Fubuki bit her thumb, as she continued to look at the man. His complete refusal made her want to convince him even more, he was an interesting individual and she could have many uses for him...

"Impossible. He is strong, I dare to say he's probably the strongest amongst the B-Class. There's no harm in inviting him." Fubuki smiled as she decided on a way to convince Saitama into joining her. When observing how Saitama interacted with others, Fubuki had continuously been surprised by how gentle, harmless, and simple he could be. He did not act the same people with his level of did, and the arrogant behavior she expected was not there at all. Sure, his responses and his refusal to join her were infuriating, but after continuing to think about his entire demeanor, and after being with him in person, she realized he was quite simple.

"Saitama! If we can't convince you, then how about a fair and square competition?" she asked as she stood up from her chair. An almost invisible smile was pasted on her lips as she again through some bait that Saitama could fall for.

"A competition?" Saitama asked, looking up from his video game for the first time.

"Yes! The Blizzard Group against the Saitama Group! The losers have to do whatever the winning team tells them! Bring your members tomorrow. Then we'll tell you how we're gonna decide the winner." Fubuki said, knowing that now that she had laid a challenge, Saitama would not refuse.

"Wait, hold on, there's no Saitama Group!" Saitama stammered, now worried that the psychic girl would automatically win if he brought no one.

Fubuki couldn't contain her victorious smile. "Is that so...You can come by yourself if you want. But it's not like I expected anything from your reputation." As Fubuki left Saitama alone in her conference room, signaling the meeting was over, she was glowing with her victory. Everything was going smoothly, and if everything continued to go according to plan, Saitama would have no choice but to join her.

Saitama frowned as he saw Fubuki walk away, "Do you even know what fair and square means?"

After hearing no response, Saitama groaned. "How did he always get into these situations. This lady was really smart and she wouldn't stop bothering him about joining her group," he thought. "There was also the fact that he had no in his group... No one except for..." Saitama punched his hand and smiled with determination as he stood up from his desk. Maybe he did have a group! He looked down after he felt something crumble in his hand. He had accidentally crushed the video game he had in his hand when he "punched" it. After a few more pieces fell he let the entire thing go with a worried expression. "Oh, man...King is going to be mad"

* * *

"I wonder if that jerk is gonna show up..." said several of Fubuki's members as they stared at the clock and then eyed the reservation time of the room they had rented.

"He'll definitely come, he's that simple-minded," responded Fubuki as she patiently waited. She had full confidence that Saitama would come, even if it was alone... There was a knock on the door and it soon opened as Saitama walked in. Fubuki smiled, "Here... I told you he's naive."

As Saitama walked in, with a blank expression on his face, the Blizzard Group noticed he was not alone. Genos, Bang, and even King followed close behind. All the members panicked as they saw who Saitama brought with him, breaking out into a cold sweat as they saw that their chance of beating them had dropped to 0%

Fubuki smiled, but as she did she could feel a small drop of sweat falling the side of her face. She was surprised, but by now she knew not to underestimate this man. As she wiped the drop of sweat off quickly, she confidently said, "...relax, all within my expectations."

"So you really came Saitama?"

"Yo."

Genos suddenly stepped forward. "The likes of you...dare to waste Saitama Sensei's precious time... I'm not going to let this one slip," he warned as his cold scare jumped from person to person before settling on Fubuki.

Saitama stared with a blank face at Genos. "You sound mad Genos."

The Fubuki group was completely losing it at this point and Fubuki could see it. Before they acted without thinking she stood up. "So that's your 'Saitama Group.'"

Saitama looked at her and cocked his head, confused. "That's not true, but oh well... these are three acquaintances are the ones who responded to my call. What kind of team battle is it gonna be?"

Bang cleared his throat and look at Saitama. "Saitama, I hope this is important. I left my brother alone to hunt for Garou to come here to help a friend."

Before Saitama could respond, Fubuki slapped a contract on the table. "Before that, can the team representative please sign this contract? We're gonna have a fair and square competition... it's all written here. Don't complain if you get hurt" Fubuki said as she directed an innocent smile at Saitama.

"That's fine!" Saitama instantly replied as he signed the paper.

Fubuki immediately picked it up and read it aloud, "The loser team will obey every command of the winner team. Fufu... you've actually signed this!"

Saitama's face immediately dropped as he broke out in a sweat. "Ahhh... so that's what was written there." King frowned and touched his friend's shoulder. "Dude, Saitama, you need to start reading your contracts and manuals from now on."

Fubuki and her group immediately to put away the chairs and tables in the room before announcing that they would get ready for their battle. She had him in the bag! And judging from the type of person he was, there was no way he would refuse.

Genos glared at the Blixxard Group as he said, "Sensei! Let me handle this so they never bother you again!" Bang looked up at Genos in worry as he knew that he acted more on impulse than anything else. "Wait, Genos-Kun. I will make sure that they don't get hurt badly." He smiled as he looked at Genos with his puppy face. "See this as a sparring match." His face suddenly contorted as every wrinkle seemed to make his face create an evil smile. "Everyone from the loser team has to join my dojo to train. Charanko will be surprised when he meets so many students...Once he returns."

"Bang!? Wrong, Wrong! You're the one the right! Stop hitting the select button! All you're doing is taunting! THAT'S NOT AN ATTACK!"

Fubuki smiled in fear, confusion, and victory as she continued to stare at Saitama. The second the video game match had started he had lost all of his composure and started yelling like a madman. The game announced "You Win!" as Bang lost the match to one of her members. "Heh. Silver Fang has been taken out!"

Saitama looked at her in horror. "What the hell!? I thought you said we would be fighting to see who won our contest!"

Fubuki gave Saitama a bright smile and laughed. "Fufu, who told you we'd fight you directly? It's even written o the contract you signed without reading."

Saitama's eyes shined bright red before he looked back at the current video game match. A member of the Fubuki Group, B-Class Rank 65 Piko had completely crushed Bang in their match, and as he battled Genos, Saitama could only dispair.

"SENSEI! The controller isn't responding!" screamed Genos as he began putting his finger through the controller he held.

Saitama's head was bright red in frustration as he held it, bobbing his head up and down. He was witnessing a massacre in front of his very own eyes. "You crushed the controller when you grabbed it Genos! Pushing harder doesn't make your attacks go harder!"

Genos stood up, his head bowed in shame as the screen once again announced, "You Win" after Fubuki's subordinate defeated him. He looked down in shame, his face hidden in shadows as he joined Bang while mumbling, "I failed..."

Saitama immediately smiled nervously before saying, "I guess it can't be helped, now it's my turn. His face turned serious as he began to get ready to destroy the opposition, and his face was not one of confusion or disinterest, but of dangerous determination. "To tell you the truth, I've played this game before. Don't take me as lightly as those beginners Bang and Genos."

***20 seconds later***

"Just wait, I'll win this and-"

"K.O! PERFECT!"

Fubuki couldn't help but go from soft snickering to full out laughter as she saw how was her group was going through Saitama and his acquaintances as they quickly lost their matches. "King is the only one left! All you do in your life is fighting, you think you can beat us in this game?" she declared as she bit down on her index finger to contain herself.

As Saitama joined Genos and Bang, his face in shadows as he realized how bad he fucked up, King's heart "The King Engine" started beating furiously as he realized everything was now on him. Fubuki continued laughing while saying, "If you lose...then all of you including Saitama have to join the Blizzard Group!"

King's eyes opened wide, his blood vessels covering the entirety of them as he completely readied himself for the challenge at hand.

* * *

"C-Class Red Muffler's strength is set to 100! Next!" said Child-Emperor as he used his new power-level reading mask on different heroes. "Class B Rank 50, Darkness Blade's strength is 759! A-Class rank 13 Great philosopher's strength is 2442! And A-Class Rank 10 Stinger's strength is 1600!

A Hero Association Staff member was quietly observing the heroes measure themselves up against Child Emperor's mask as he realized that even a Class- C was above what was considered the normal strength of regular humans (his power level was 22)

As Child Emperor looked at a large bear, he measured its strength to be 905. As he looked at Shicchi, a staff member of the Hero Association, his mask read undefined. The member looked up in confusion as he asked the S class hero what it meant. "Because your body is too weak in comparison to a hero's, an error occurred," responded the child as he smiled at the Staff member. "The idea is that with this, you can rate heroes based on their strength alone."

As he jumped down, Child Emperor handed his mask to the staff member. "Using it on monsters could make the estimation of their classes better as well!" As Shicchi placed the mask on his face and looked at Child emperor, the scale read 1880. "What the...isn't he just a child?" he thought.

The S class hero, while holding a lollipop to his mouth raise a finger and smiled. "Pretty low stats right? I've been doing some training, but my body is still that of a 10-year-old-"

Suddenly and alarm on the hero's wristwatch started beeping as it bathed him in red light. "Monster Alert!"

The sound was soon drowned as the city emergency warning started wailing, "Emergency Alert! A monster has been spotted in Y-City! The disaster level is Tiger!"

As the alarm continued blaring, all the heroes gathered began running towards the root of the problem as fast as they could. "This is a great opportunity!" yelled Child Emperor. "Let's go record a monster's stats!" Stinger looked back at him in worry and replied with, "this isn't the time for that!" before they made to the scene where the monster had been reported. Thick, silk spider waves covered the buildings that surrounded them, and a crow and several other animals could be seen trying to escape the sticky webs that entangled them. As the heroes looked around them, they began hearing rapid footsteps as a Giant Spider appeared in the street in front of them. A sick looking man could be seen, and where his legs should have been, a giant body of a spider replaced them. The monster Jumping Spider easily bit through a vending machine before spotting the heroes in front of it.

"A monster spider..."

Child Emperor immediately pulled out his mask and read the monster's stats. "Okame-Chan reads... 402! The body is even weaker than the bear, in a worst-case scenario, even a group of organized citizens with the proper tools can handle it. We were warned about threat level tiger, but maybe it's just wolf..."

"I, the man of 759, Darkness Blade shall take care of this," announced the hero as he brandished his sword and charged the monster. As he brought his sword down, a strike shattered his sword and sent him flying.

"What!? Strange, that shouldn't happen, it was definitely 420 before..."

As Child Emperor remeasured the monster's combat ability, it now read 6,999. Child Emperor looked up in surprise as he realized this monster was a disaster level demon. Stinger immediately got his weapon ready, "you're telling us this now?" Meanwhile, Great Philosopher, who had closed his book, raised it up as he cried "3 Tons Philosophy!" However, the monster proved to be too much for them as it shot its webs directly at them and removed their weapons. Left wide open, both Stinger and Great Philosopher were sent flying with a smack of the giant spider's legs. Child Emperor was barely able to react and guard himself with his backpack before a leg impacted against his shield and sent him flying.

As the man who was connected to the spider began to laugh, a flashing stream of blue was seen as it interwove with itself before smashing against the monster. As Bang dove in, he was able to rescue the C-Class hero Red Muffler as the spider's fangs penetrated the concrete. Genos aimed his hand towards the monster before dismissively saying, "Incinerate!" before completely vaporizing the man attached to the beast.

As Saitama jumped in he smiled as he congratulated both Bang and Genos. "Oh, nice combination you two! Lemme deal the finishing blow." As he punched through the spider his momentum completely destroyed, releasing a large number of viscous spider webs that entangled him. "It's ov-...OMMMPPPHHHHH!" was the only thing that could be heard as Saitama started trying to remove the substance from his face.

As Child Emperor began walking back, 4 spider-like appendages appeared, breaking the concrete below him as they raised him up in the air. As he prepared to rejoin the battle, he noticed the spider's guts lying all over the floor. "Ohh, it's over already..." Meanwhile, Genos was trying to help his master who was still stuck in the spider webs and spitting it out in disgust.

"Ah, Child Emperor-Kun," welcomed King as he noticed the fellow S class hero. As he gave King the credit for destroying the monster, Fubuki stood behind them, her face drowned in misery as she remained silent. Child Emperor wasted no time in taking out his mask to once again measure the new heroes and their stats, but before he could point directly at Bang, he denied it. "There's no need to read me," he apologized as he raised his hand, "I prefer not to get involved in this."

"Is that so..." Child Emperor said disappointed. "Master Demon Cyborg is almost complete machines. I don't think the readings will work on him. How about you old man?" he said as he stared directly at Saitama. While removing the webs stuck on his body, Saitama gave the S class hero an irritated look, "Who are you calling old man?"

As Child Emperor aimed his mask at him, the readings identified him as "Caped Baldy", but unbeknownst to him, the mask immediately cracked. "He's got his own hero name now, he's called "caped baldy!" exclaimed the kid, and as Saitama heard his own hero name, a depressed look came on his face as he mumbled, "You know what, old man is fine."

"Huh...undefined?"

"Hm?"

"Old man, you are a professional hero, right? And a B-Class at that, I find it hard to believe. You're so weak the numbers aren't showing. Just between us, I think you should train a little. You're just like an out of shape average person."

Saitama's forehead veins stood out as he looked at the small kid with irritation, meanwhile, Genos could also be seen visibly shaken from how Chil Emperor approached his master. "What did this little shit tell me...?" The child ignored him as he pointed his mask at King, who's number was undefined just like Saitama's.

"Ahh, I see! The mask can't go beyond 9,999, so your strength goes beyond numbers!"

King calmed down as he heard his fellow S-Class hero's response, letting out his breath as he thanked God for not being discovered. His reaction went unnoticed as Child Emperor then pointed his mask at Fubuki, who was still sulking as she stood away from everyone else.

"You're the top B-Class, Blizzard of hell, right? Please let me test you as well. Just so you know, the C class lie around 100."

As Child Emperor waited for a response, Saitama couldn't help but notice how gloomy and dead Fubuki seemed to be. She was looking away from them and her shoulders were slumped as she looked at the floor. Saitama had concerned blank expression as he looked at her. "What's the matter Fubuki?"

Genos walked up to his master and started whispering in his ear, but whispering to him was still loud enough for Fubuki to hear every word. "She's still in shock because King alone beat all 30 members of her group in one go."

Fubuki couldn't stop sweating and shaking as she fumbled the idea of losing in her mind. "How could King... I can't believe it...the Saitama Group... just 4 of them..." she thought as her empty eyes looked at the space in front of her. Her lips started trembling as she drowned in her own misery. "I challenged them with 30 of my guys... Are my connections not good enough?"

"I got the number 'Blizzard of Hell,' it's only 19."

Fubuki's eyes opened wider and seemed more dead as she heard her score. She fell on her knees as a cloud of depression appeared over her head and she slapped the floor. "19...I'm even below C-Class..."

Saitama continued watching Fubuki as he lifted an eyebrow at her. "Ummm aren't you overreacting?" Genos once again spoke , "We should leave her and go home."

Saitama considered and continued staring at her before looking at Genos. "But... we won remember?" King immediately jumped in with a nervous smile, "even if she's upset, a loss is a loss."

Fubuki started panicking as she heard their entire conversation and her heart started aching as she realized she was about to lose everything. She had kept bothering this man about joining her group, bullied him, and even tried tricking him. But now it had all come to bite her back, and after losing, he could do whatever he wanted to her and her group. "I can't let this go on...This man is going to take over my rank, I have a feeling!" she thought as her eyes started while she looked away from Saitama with dispair. "The B-Class Rank 1 seat I worked so hard for. Everything is going to fall apart!"

Saitama continued staring at Fubuki as she lay on the floor looking like a zombie as her devasted state made her appear crazy. He felt a knot twist in his stomach as he approached her. He remembered that when they first met she had attacked him for no reason and then she tried manipulating him into joining her group several times. She wasn't a person however, and he understood that she had her own reasons for worrying so much about things that would not make her a better hero. Maybe there was something he could do about it.

"Hey, get a grip. You made a mistake with rankings, and now with numbers. You care too much about the upper part."

Fubuki was now drenched in sweat, which was visibly falling down her face as she felt her whole world collapsing around her, she couldn't help but ignore his words. "Fufu...guys like you don't understand what I'm going through. Being in the lead is all that counts. Showing others that you're stronger than them...hiding your weaknesses and showing them you're above them..." An image of Tatsumaki appeared in her mind as she looked away with her back to her. Fubuki clenched her fists as she remembered once again why she staggered so low and how her potential was limited. "That person is just like that, always high up, without ever showing weakness," she moaned, referring to her sister.

Saitama looked at Fubuki with actual concern now. He didn't like how Fubuki was letting herself drown without even fighting. As he thought this, he replied, "then you just don't try hard enough. If you really want to become strong..."

Bang opened his eyes, alert as he felt something nearby, just as King spotted tiny spider scurrying around, and while Genos detected several life forms."

Saitama, who was completely focused on Fubuki, continued, "Stop caring about what your surroundings think of you." Fubuki's eyes opened wide as Saitama's words hit home withing her mind. The clouds that had been gathering and fogging her vision over the years, and at that moment, cleared a little as she remembered those very same words that someone else had once told her. Tatsumaki appeared once again appeared in her mind as she always had, wit a cold and arrogant glare aimed at her own sister. "Living your life has nothing to do with what others think."

Suddenly, a wave of baby spiders appeared as CHild Emperor and RedMuffler notice them. "oh shit, I think they're some kind of parasite! We mustn't let a single one escape!"

Genos looked around him as he prepared his blasters, but then stopped. "Tch... can't I incinerate the surroundings?" Bang glimpsed at him before quickly responding, "Don't! You'll hurt the bystanders standing near us."

While everyone remained still, unable to do anything to get rid of the pests that were escaping, Fubuki slowly stood up, her Psychic power beginning to pour out of her. "The thing you just said..." she slammed her hand down on the ground as her psychic energy grabbed every single spider running around, picking them up in the air and compacting them into a sphere before crushing them. "...I already know, you don't have to remind me!" she exclaimed as her eyes, although still filled with loss, had regained their life.

"It doesn't matter if you and my sister are stronger than me, I have my own method of handling things!" Fubuki stood up more confidently as she looked at Saitama and removed the rest of the webs still stuck to his body. with a wave of her finger. "I was only a little taken aback before because of King's strength."

As she looked at Saitama, she let her eyes close a little bit before softly saying, "...I admit my defeat this time... I am going home but this doesn't mean I've given up. If you'll excuse me..."

Saitama stared at her back with an unimpressed face. Deep down he was happy that she had once again woken up and realized that she needs to get stronger, but still, she wasn't getting off that easy. "You can't go yet. There's a promise the loser has to fulfill, remember?" he said, stopping Fubuki down in her tracks.

Fubuki let out a nervous smile, "ah I forgot..." she thought as she looked back at him. "What do you want us to do? If you're wishing to replace me in command of the Blizzard Group I'll stay out of your way. Or maybe you wan-"

Saitama interrupted her by letting out a smile of his own, "actually, I was just going to ask if you could buy us dinner?" Bang immediately jumped up after hearing Saitama's request, "W-wait! Dinner? I want them to come to muy dojo!" he yelled but was subsequently ignored.

Fubuki froze for a moment, unsure of what she heard before she let out a soft chuckle and smiled at Saitama. "Fufu... well, I think I can easily arrange that," she said as she once again gave him a warm smile. "Let's meet at the restaurant right around the corner at 8," she said as she began walking away. She smiled to herself as she thought, "seriously what kind of man is he?" Recently, hanging out with his group had caused so much conflict within her. Whether that was a good or bad thing, she did not know. But one thing she knew for sure, she was beginning to understand him... She giggled gently as she saw her headquarters. Once again this strange man had caught her by surprise, even when he could have destroyed what she had built, he showed restraint. She was looking forward to this dinner.

* * *

Saitama, King, and Genos observed Fubuki with deadpan faces as she continued making her order later that day. After meeting up at the restaurant they went to sit down so as to get their order ready. As the waiter had gone up to them, out of courtesy, they had allowed Fubuki to order her food first. However, after several frustrating minutes, it was clear she was going to take a long time as she continued scanning the menu. Even the waiter seemed like he wanted to leave already.

"Sirlon...no, the fillet has less fat. No butter, please. And the salad and dressing...wait a minute, let's go back. Hmmm let me calculate the calories," she mumbled as she decided what to eat.

Saitama continued observing Fubuki while thinking, "The Old Man is so lucky he didn't come, I just want to eat and go home."


	5. Chapter 5- And So It Begins

"Sooo...," Fubuki said while looking at Saitama, who was blankly looking back at her, "How exactly did you meet King, Genos, and Bang?" She hadn't been able to shake off that certain itch she had about the bald hero when she first met him. On that same day, he had shown her that a simple B-Class hero could walk alongside Class-S heroes and even became friends.

As she finished asking her question, Saitama, who had decided he could eat a large piece of crab in go, immediately started choking before he could answer. While King hurried to help him, he began to frantically slap his back as Saitama's face turned red. Genos took the opportunity to answer her question. "I met Saitama Sensei while in a fierce battle with a mosquito monster that was threating the city. I suffered severe damage, forcing me to self-destruct as to eliminate the threat. Master saved my life after quickly destroying it."

Fubuki gasped in surprise. She knew Saitama was strong, but to be able to easily destroy a monster that Genos, a Class-S hero, struggled with was still impressive. She looked at Saitama and let out a small laugh as she saw that he had managed to eat the food stuck in his throat and was no longer choking. She then faced King and asked him how he had met Saitama. King immediately broke out in a cold sweat as he heard the question and began trying to think of a way to throw Fubuki off so as to not expose his secret. "I...uhhhh...we met...-"

Saitama interrupted by quickly letting out a nervous laugh, "We met...while playing video games...I was looking to do so something fun and I ran into King!" He nervously laughed as he slapped King's back, "isn't that right King?" King, who was not prepared for Saitama's slap on the back, and because of his lack of strength, immediately succumbed to the blow and his head smacked against the table with an audible "THUD!" Saitama, Fubuki, and Genos looked at him for a second before all hell broke loose.

"Master I think you killed him!"

Saitama jumped up from the table, "I'm so sorry I didn't know that would happen! King? King? KING!?" he started yelling as he shook King's body at a rapid speed.

"Master... I can hide the body so to remove any chances of incriminati...-"

"HE'S NOT DEAD!"

Fubuki laughed as she stared at the circus in front of her. She kept on giggling before she noticed that a lot of people in the restaurant were looking at them and making faces because of the noise. She nervously hid her face as she assessed the situation. A liquor bottle was lying next to King's head, and it was half empty... "Hmmm," she thought, "I didn't know King was such a lightweight. Saitama must have slapped him as he fell asleep." She called a waiter to give them a plate to go as she stood up and approached Saitama, who was grabbing his head as if he had actually killed King. "Saitama, he's not dead, just look at him."

Saitama and Genos stopped panicking as they both stared at King, who was loudly snoring on the table. As they both let out a sigh in relief, Fubuki continued, "We should drop him off home and leave, we finished most of our food anyway. Today's been a long day, we should rest."

Genos immediately butted in, "Saitama Sensei, I'll take him home! Today must have you really tired, you don't have to worry about King!" he yelled as he picked up King and ran out of the restaurant.

Saitama was left scratching his ear as he watched Genos leave. "Why is he always yelling?" Fubuki looked at him with a blank expression while thinking, "He was yelling literally 10 seconds ago." As the waiter arrived with their food in to-go plates, Saitama thanked him as he looked at Buki. He gave her an innocent smile. "Thank you for the food!"

Fubuki looked at Saitama in surprise and let out a smile. "A deal is a deal, I lost fair and square." They stood in silence as Saitama started breaking out in a sweat. "So uhhh... are we gonna just stand here or are we gonna leave?" Fubuki's face turned red as she realized she had been staring at Saitama without saying anything. "Ohh...ummm...yeah let's leave!" As they both exited the restaurant Fubuki saw how dark it was outside before looking back at Saitama. "Well, I guess this is goodbye then-"

"I'll walk home with you," Saitama said bluntly as he gave her a blank stare.

"I should be fine, you don't have to bother Saitama," responded Fubuki as she waved her hands in front of her.

Saitama made a confused look and then looked at the direction of his house. "Ok then, see ya then." He turned and started walking away before Fubuki called out to him. "Actually...can you walk me halfway...there could be a monster on the way home..." Saitama looked back at her and tilted his head in confusion again. "You're strong. Can't you beat it yourself?" Fubuki was taken aback by his response and angrily looked at him, "you offered to walk me first!"

Saitama held the back of his head as he chuckled, "I suppose I did." He walked up to her and they soon started walking at the same pace. Saitama was quietly looking ahead as Fubuki also remained silent, something was bothering her but she didn't really know what.

"You know... you seem different," Saitama said while looking ahead.

Fubuki gave him a puzzled look before asking how. Saitama looked at her and said, "You haven't been as bossy as when we first met. You're closer to be a strong hero but there are still things that are holding you back." Fubuki stared at Saitama with a soft expression while lost in thought. She remained quiet as she thought about what he had told her earlier. "You're strong..."

"Saitama... what you said earlier...do you really I'm strong?"

"Huh. Ummm yeah, I think you're strong."

Fubuki smiled and tried to hold back a tear as she heard the quick and simple response. Saitama, who looked at her and saw her reaction, made a worried face as he stopped walking. "Hey did I say something wrong?" Fubuki quickly wiped the tear that ran down her cheek as she smiled at him. "No not at all...it's just that...my sister has always called me weak and made me feel like I'm not good enough. She's really strong, but I...I'm so weak compared to her."

Saitama shook his head as he looked at her, "This again? How many times do I have to tell you that you shouldn't worry about what others think of you? If you're tired of being weak then just get stronger than your sister."

Fubuki looked at him and saw that he was serious. "That's easier said than done. Not all of us are born with overpowering strength like you Saitama."

"I wasn't born strong though, I never had powers, to begin with."

Fubuki, startled by his response, stared at him. "But, how are you so strong? What exactly did you do to get this powerful? What kind of training did you do?"

Saitama stared at her as he scratched the back of his head. "All I did was train regularly for two years. I did 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and ran 5km every single day. I didn't stop even when I wa-" Saitama stopped as Fubuki broke out laughing while listening to his story. She continued laughing while Saitama looked at her while thinking, "she's weird."

Fubuki was finally able to contain herself while looking at Saitama. "Wait...are you serious? That's all you did? There's no way you could have gotten that strong by just doing that!" Saitama started scratching his ear while looking up at the sky and shrugged. "That's honestly all I did. I wanted to be a hero but I was too weak. So I trained, and now I'm this strong." Fubuki stopped laughing as she saw that Saitama was not joking. She was really confused and didn't know what to make out of this. If what he was really saying was true, then he managed to get his power through simple training even though he was just a regular person. Her thoughts were interrupted as Saitama gave her a serious look.

"You know, to be a true hero, you have to stop worrying about the ranking system and what your sister thinks about you. You're holding yourself back by remaining in your rank and your subordinates are limiting you too."

"What? I'm not going to abandon my grou-"

"You're not listening, you don't have to abandon your group, you just have to stop relying on them as much. Your own strength should be the only thing you should be worried about."

Fubuki remained quiet as she thought about what Saitama was saying. He was right... but it was so hard to do. Her whole life she had lived in her sister's shadow. Her only hope was to outperform her with the help of her group. But if Saitama could help her...

Fubuki frowned as she thought about how to word her question properly. "Saitama, you're the master of Genos correct? Is it possible that you could help me train as well?"

"No," Saitama replied immediately.

Fubuki flinched, "But-"

"You need to get stronger yourself, I'm not a good teacher, and I can barely handle Genos. The only advice I can give you is to handle monsters on your own." Saitama noticed that Fubuki had looked down in disappointment. He frowned, he wasn't good with these kinds of things. He started going through the mangas he had read in his head so he could say something he remembered reading. "I believe in you."

Fubuki once again looked at Saitama as he said something that surprised her. Her mouth curved up in a smile as she realized that they were already at their headquarters. Her chest hurt all of a sudden as she replayed Saitama's words in her mind. "Thank you Saitama, you have no idea how much that meant to me."

Saitama shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Well, I guess I'll be leaving then. Try to remember what I told you okay." Fubuki smiled and they both said their goodbyes. As Saitama walked away and Fubuki entered her headquarters, two bright eyes could be seen observing them while hidden in shadows. The figure had been following them a few minutes after they left the restaurant and had seen them deep in conversation on their walk to Fubuki's place. Shortly after dropping King at his apartment, which was a few blocks away, the "mysterious figure" had returned in a hurry. Genos started writing on his notepad as he wrote down what he observed. "It seems Fubuki and Saitama Sensei are becoming closer. Is there a possibility that he may have her as his new apprentice? Unlikely... more research must be conducted." As Genos pocketed his notebook, he began to head home at top speed so as to not raise suspicion that he had been following his master.

***At the same time in another part of the city***

"I've got you!" Garous screamed victoriously as he punched Spring Mustachio, sending sprawling down the alley. As he lay unconscious, Garou celebrated his victory. After engaging the A-Class heroes Golden Ball, and Spring Mustachio he had emerged on top. Granted, he had gotten a hole in his leg and hand, but the heroes were beaten and Spring Mustachio lay unconscious.

"If you weren't bound by social restrictions we could have had a decent fight. Haha, di you know that they keep your special moves in the hero book? Any person could've easily prepared for that shit!" Garou pulled out the sword that the unconscious hero had run through his hand as he looked at the hero Golden Ball. "Phew, getting used to armed opponents should be easier now!"

Golden Ball glared at Garou, knowing full well that without his ball ammunition that he didn't stand a chance against him. He grit his teeth as he said, "Don't get cocky. You won't get away with this for long."

Garou sneered as he saw straight through the hero's bluff. "I'll keep getting stronger. So beat me if you can, until you beat me, I'll keep being cocky!" he declared as lunged at the A-class hero before disappearing into the night as 2 bodies lay in an abandoned alleyway.

* * *

That night Fubuki again had difficulty sleeping. She was restless as she kept thinking about her crazy day with the baldy once again. As she lay chuckling while remembering Saitama's behavior, she began replaying his words over and over in her head. "You're strong...you have to stop relying on your group..." She frowned as this new, foreign ideology clashed with her own thoughts and what she had been forced to believe since a long time ago. Tatsumaki always inspired fear in her and took every opportunity to subjugate her and remind her that her group was useless. She bit her lip as she continued comparing this old and annoying way of thinking with Saitama's simple train of thought. If what he said was true, then she and her group could get stronger and remain together. She thought of all the good moments she ever had with her group and the memories they shared. She wasn't ready to let that go. But she had to get stronger. If she wanted to walk alongside someone like Saitama... Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt her chest burning once again. As she clutched the space between her breasts, feeling her heart as it beat rapidly, she frowned. She had never felt something like this before. She continued feeling her heartbeat while remaining motionless as she tried her hardest to think for the reason behind it. Saitama suddenly appeared in her head as he was shaking King at the restaurant, thinking he killed him. Fubuki's face seemed to light up with a smile before she shook her head. Saitama and his group certainly had something that drew her in. In a way, they seemed to be their own family, and despite what she would have expected, she liked them. Her chest was growing hotter by the second and she clutched as she fell asleep with a smile. Maybe she would find an excuse to visit Saitama sometime this week...

* * *

"My sturdy arms will bash your soft mammalian bodies to bits! I will smash, scatter and pulviri-" the giant rock monster who was in the process of destroying the city was interrupted as a tornado suddenly engulfed him. With an unnatural and focused ferocity, the tornado tore the rock being apart and scattered all of its parts before crushing them. Tatsumaki stared ahead as she screamed, "silence!" in annoyance while raising a finger.

A Hero Association staff member looked at her praise as he saw how quickly she dispatched the monster. "Well done Miss Tornado! As usual, no casualties."

Tatsumaki looked at him with contempt as she turned to face him. "You called me here for THAT? Couldn't someone else have done? Everyone is always relying on me to take out these week monsters!"

The staff looked at the angry Tatsumaki in fear, "the other heroes are busy fighting others monsters," he stammered, "besides, only you can face the strongest."

"It's the weekend! I have things to do!" yelled Tatsumaki as she glared at him. She began to glow green as she began to use her esper powers to levitate. "You can call me if you ABSOLUTELY need me, then it's fine. But the hero association is completely incompetent!" She soon disappeared out of sight as the officer continued looking at her as a drop of sweat traveled down his face.

***the next day***

Tatsumaki lazily brushed her teeth as she checked her phone for any calls from the Hero Association. "That's weird," she thought, "there's no call...does that mean there are no monsters in today?" She hesitated before pulling out her phone, listening to ring only twice before the same officer who had called her before answered. "We don't need you today! We just assigned a demon level threat monster to the hero Fashy Flash. He defeated it in no time...I guess you can take the day off today."

Tatsumaki screeched as she stared at the phone with her eyes open extremely wide as the call ended. "I NEVER SAID I WANTED TO TAKE THE DAY OFF! But oh well...I'll just...you know...be bored," she said as she threw herself on the floor and stared at the ceiling.

After 10 seconds she quickly floated unto her feet before switching her tv on with her psychic ability. "Perhaps I'll check out the disaster channel. Hmm, there have been numerous monster sightings at a park in city Z..."

Outside, the sun was beautifully reflecting its rays off a monster who had just been killed. Tatsumaki stared at it ass blood flowed down and almost touched her feet before she levitated off the floor. Someone had beaten her to it! She looked at the sky and then around her as she thought about where to go next. "Oh well, there's apt to be more...I'll just go find them, after all, I've got time," she mumbled as she flew into the sky.

As she arrived into another street she again stared at another defeat monster. "Again!?" Next, she arrived at another park where, once again, another monster had been killed. "This one too?" As she arrived at another time her face scrunched up in anger. "Who's doing this? Each one died from a massive punch," she observed as she saw that every monster had a neat, giant hole that went through their bodies. "Tch, now I'm really bored! No fighting? Just quiet time!?" Her eyes bulged and filled with veins as she focused on the dead monster in front of her. Meanwhile, Saitama was calmly walking down a park as he nonchalantly looked ahead. "I took a walk out of boredom, but I keep running into monsters." Tatsumaki's phone suddenly buzzed as a new monster was seen. "Another monster sighting? And it's in city Z! THIS ONE'S MINE!" she declared as she rocketed into the sky.

As a hotdog monster and C-Class hero were beginning to square off the monster began rambling as he tasted victory. "I'll squeeze you tight and cover you with ketchup so you die with excessive salt intake! Gya ahahahaha-"

The monster was cut off as a monstrous tornado instantly descended upon him within less than a second. The C-Class hero was left completely covered in guts as he stared speechless at what had just happened. Tatsumaki was grinning triumphantly as she saw that she killed the monster. "Heh! This time I win!." She flew up into the sky, leaving the confused hero behind. "I feel a lot better now!"

* * *

Garou looked up at the snaking centipede as it continued rampaging in the city. I easily eclipsed any structure around him and was destroying anything in its sight as it moved around. "I don't think Metal Bat can handle that," he said with disappointment as he realized he would miss out in fighting a new Class-S hero.

Suddenly something was hurled at an extremely fast speed as it landed right beside him and crashed into a building. Garou looked at what had fallen beside him with curiosity and saw Metal Bat himself lying a few feet from him. "Metal Bat!? But how did he fall from the sk-?" he paused as he looked at the hulking behemoth destroying the city in the distance, "oh I get it..."

He turned to look at Metal Bat before letting out a groan. "A monster besides me beat an S-Class hero? Well, this sucks... Anyway, my next target was Watchdo-"

"Ugh I better head back," complained Metal Bat as he walked past Garou. Garou looked at him in shock before squealing with excitement. "W-wait a second!"

"Huh?"

"You're alive! Haha! My second S-Class hero! Now you have to fight me," Garou hissed as he pointed at Metal Bat. He lowered his head and tensed his muscles. "I'm hunting you."

Metal Bat scoffed and looked at the monster in the distance. "Don't be dumb, go evacuate! Can't you see that centipede!?" he opened his eyes wide as he felt a sharp wind pressure behind him as he quickly swung his bat around and blocked a hit from the man he had just seen. He squinted with focus at the area where Garou had struck his bat as smoke emerged from the impact. He swung his bat as Garou jumped back in a martial artist stance as he prepared to pounce again.

Metal Bat glared at him before he realized who it was. "The hero hunter who claims to be a monster?" he asked as he cocked his head to the side. "You're the one who beat Tank Top Master?" he asked incredulously.

Meanwhile, Garou was moving his hands in a fluid motion, something common for the technique he was so fond of. He sneered as he looked at Metal Bat. "Yes...I am Garou."

The S-Class hero looked at Garou momentarily before looking back at the huge centipede in the distance, before focusing on Garou once again. He gripped his bad tightly as he got into his own stance. "I'm busy but...I'll bust that crazy head of yours!" he yelled menacingly as both "monster" and hero closed the distance in between them in an instant.


	6. Chapter 6- Overlooked Emotions

Fubuki walked confidently down the streets of Z City while she scanned the area around her. Recently, a surge of monster attacks had risen and it seemed as if not enough heroes were available to handle the challenge. However, for those that manage to eliminate said monsters, better pay, and a better rank was sure to be promised as drastic times required drastic measures. She was not about to let anyone take advantage of that and replace her, and to prevent it, Fubuki and her Blizzard group left the safety of their headquarters to engage the enemy. They had recently gotten a call that a Demon level threat monster had appeared, and they were headed right to it. Fubuki smiled at the opportunity at hand, but then she remembered Saitama's words, "if enemies that are stronger than you appear, they won't be able to help you..." she frowned at the thought. She frowned as she pondered the probability of such a thing happening, especially now when regarding the monster threat they were heading to. "I wonder if Saitama is okay..." she wondered as she bit her lip. He was surely strong...but with Demon level threats and higher that appeared, she worried that something-. She paused as she realized that she was actually worried about the bald hero that she had met just two weeks ago. She had not been able to get her out of her head at all since that time. Every time she thought of strength, of improving herself, or demonstrating that she could hold her own...she thought of him. She furrowed her eyes as she focused on a single irrelevant spot in front of her. As she was lost in thought she began to realize that she held Saitama in such high esteem. Not only was he the embodiment of power, but his simplicity and straightforwardness had really left a powerful impression on her. Until now she hadn't met anyone like him...

Fubuki shook her head as her cheeks began to flush. She started softly pinching them and breathing ragged breaths. "What is wrong with me!?" she thought as she heard name be called.

"-s. Blizzard!"

Fubuki turned around in slight annoyance at having her thoughts interrupted.

Her second in command, the B-Class hero, realizing that he bothered her, began to sweat lightly. Fubuki, who noticed this, gave him a small smile, signaled him to continue.

Eyelashes took a moment to recollect himself before continuing. "Miss Blizzard, something has been bothering me ever since I first met that man you called Saitama..." Fubuki tensed up as she heard his words, "he seems familiar." Fubuki relaxed as she heard what her subordinate had to say. As they continued walking, she looked back at him. The whole Blizzard group who were looking at him encouraged him to voice out something that had been nagging them as well.

"It's just that...remember when one of our members, he went by the name 'Glasses,' mentioned something about a bald hero." Fubuki slowed down to match Eyelashes' walking speed. She was intrigued at what he had to say about the "bald" hero, but she also wondered about where she had heard what her subordinate had just mentioned.

"I do recall having a member in the Blizzard Group who went by that name, and I also don't remember what he mentioned."

Eyelashes frowned and looked at his boss before continuing with his story. "Well, it's just that... in the accident in which we defeated the C-Class Serial Arsonist, we had encountered a monster named 'Demonic Fan.'"

Fubuki looked down with a sour face. A demon level monster had defeated the Blizzard group easily. Even she had been pinned against the wall and was unable to do anything against its power. Her sister Tatsumaki had intervened while she lay unconscious and defeater the monster herself...

"Miss Fubuki, the truth is that although I had ignored the words of a fellow teammate, I have been having an itch at the back of my head about the Hero you have begun building a relationship with." Fubuki blushed and looked at him to understand what he was insinuating before realizing he wasn't done, leading her to look away quickly. "The ex-Blizzard member had mentioned that Miss Tatsumaki had saved all our lives! In addition to it, he said that she had chastised him for being so weak and being unable to protect you. I remember him mentioning that, as the only man standing, and after her departure, he had attended all of our injuries before the Demonic Fan re-appeared."

At the mention of a fact she did not know about Fubuki stopped, forcing the Blizzard group, her were all listening intently at Eyelashes, to stop as well. "Glasses had mentioned that as he attacked the monster alone, he was easily blown away as the monster prepared to finish you and the Blizzard Group off. However, before leaving the Blizzard Group he informed me of another detail!" Eyelashes locked eyes with Fubuki as he stared directly at her while finishing what he had to say. "Glasses had told me that he was leaving us because he wanted to become stronger, just like the man who saved him. He said that this man had changed his perspective about his limits and had told him to continue pushing 'forward.' He mentioned that as the monster began to prepare to attack a bald hero had appeared out of nowhere, killing the monster with a single punch effortlessly..."

Fubuki began to sweat as she realized what Eyelashes was trying to say. So far, in her entire hero career, she had met several bald civilians and few heroes. None of them, however, fit the description of power that Eyelashes was describing to her at the moment. Did this mean she and Saitama had crossed paths before-? She was interrupted as she realized that the Blizzard Group was no longer standing in front of her. While she was deep in thought, they had run off and were surrounding the monster they had come to destroy. The Demon threat Super S was waving her whip menacingly at the newcomers who had arrived to face her. As Fubuki emerged, leading her group, they faced each other.

Fubuki smiled with confidence as she believed that they would be able to overpower her. Her mind drifted off one last time to the bald hero before summoning a wave of psychic power.

* * *

"It's their job, yet heroes boast about good deeds and justice! People like that will never save the world," declared Suiryu as he faced Saitama. After defeating the entire roster of competitors, he and Saitama had the chance to fight in the final match. Suiryo shook his head in disappointment as he stared at Saitama, who he knew as "Charanko" in the martial arts tournament. "Charanko" was so strong, and Suiryu was enjoying his fight against him until learning the disappointing fact that he was a hero. "Relying on them is pointless," he continued, "Noble aspirations...Fine thoughts...Lofty ethics...Heroic justice...Those aren't necessary for a fun life, they're just contaminants.

Suiryu looked at Saitama as he continued expressing his disappointment and disgust of heroes. "You're strong, you shouldn't waste your time in something so boring!" As he waited for a response her waited for "Charanko" to say something, but he saw that his face was in shadows as he held back anger. Suiryu laughed, "Uh-oh...did I bum you out? I'm just telling you the truth because I respect your strength. Take this as advice from the one who lives the easy life!" shouted Suiryu as he lunged forward.

Saitama, who had been listening to the entire time chastised himself in his own mind. This whole tournament had been a waste of time. While trying to experience martial arts, he didn't meet anyone who could challenge him or even show the potential of the so-called fighting style. And now this guy was dissing heroes in front of him...

As Suiryu raised his leg in a sweeping high kick towards Saitama's head, he let himself take the hit, sending the wig that had concealed his identity fly off in the air. As the impact solidly connected, every spectator, martial artists, and the announcer looked in shock as they saw that the kick had no impact.

Saitama, who had been taking all of Suiryu's complaints towards heroes, finally looked up as he faced his opponent. His serious face was a testament to how Suiryo had challenged his ideals as a hero. "What you just called contaminants...those things don't even matter all. You said your name was Suiryu right?" Saitama's head smoked from where Suiryu had struck him. "You're not the only one doing what you want. Now I have some advice for you." Saitama raised his arm back as he prepared a punch, his face now showing blank dismissal. "If you wanna have fun...you should avoid getting nay stronger."

As his fist flew towards Suiryu's face, he could do nothing as it got closer. Saitama stopped his blow a foot from Suiryu's face, and as he did, the shock wave from his massive punch tore through his opponent's clothes and blew the audience back into their seats. Suiryu felt his blood thumping in his ears as adrenaline began to flow through his body. This man was a serious threat, and his punch was no joke...He looked down at his torn clothes and looked at "Charanko" once again. This was the fight he had been cravi-

Both Saitama and Suiryu looked up as they heard a whistle blow.

*"CHARANKO IS DISQUALIFIED FOR THE USE OF HEADWEAR WHICH CONCEALS HIS IDENTITY"*

Saitama looked at the referees in disappointment. "Well, there goes the prize money..."

*"AND THE VICTOR IS...SUIRYU!"*

As Suiryu heard the announcement he let out a breath of disappointment, echoing the audience's anger at not being allowed to see an epic fight unfold. As Suiryu looked down at his clothes, he grabbed the rags that remained and tore them off his muscular frame. "PLaytime is over...now the real fight begins!"

"Hm?" said Saitama before seeing Suiryu rush towards him, to the horror of the refs.

With a thunderclap of noise, Suiryu smashed his fist to the side of Saitama's head, causing an explosion of air and dust. "I don't care who you are! I still haven't shown you how strong I am!" Suiryu raised his arm with sheer speed and brought it back down where Saitama had been just a second earlier, breaking the entire fighting ring in half. The audience and announcer stared in shock as they saw just how strong Suiryu was, watching the paranormal event as Suiryu stomped on the floor, causing it to rise up.

Saitama watched Suiryu with a face void of emotion as he was flung into the sky and smacking against the raised half of the ring after Suiryu had stomped on it. As Suiryu jumped up with his powerful legs, the floor cracked underneath him, sending him flying upwards unto Saitama. "Graaaaaahh!" screamed Suiryu as he unleashed a series of powerful blows unto Saitama's face before sending him down to the floor. Saitama had barely landed before a stomp connected with his stomach, shattering the fighting ring even further.

The referees were looking around desperately as they tried to find a way to stop the fight. But as they continued spectating with pale faces, they knew they couldn't do anything. As Suiryu continued dumping everything he had unto Saitama, he was surprised as he saw a completely lax and bored expression. "Is this not affecting him at all?"

"Pay attention...as I demonstrate TRUE MARTIAL ARTS!" screamed Suiryu as he continued launching attack after attack unto Saitama, who smiled with hope at the mentioned of "true martial arts.

is expression quickly faded as he realized nothing had changed before hearing, "Dark Body Dragon Flying Fist!" As a small tornado was formed and rocks began flying everywhere, Suiryu continued launching rapid punches and kicks before noticing that Saitama still had a bored expression. "Then how about this!" As he flipped back in the air and stomped the floor as he landed, the entirety of what was left of the ring shattered. "Dark Body Quake Fist!" shouted Suiryu as he began using a technique with footwork to stomp his way towards Saitama.

"That's some seriously weird footwork for just stomping!"

"Firm footwork can increase power, but I've never seen it at this level!"

As the audience stared in shock, Suiryu raised his fist as the air began to rapidly form around it. With a punch that deafened everyone, Suiryu connected with Saitama's stomach, creating an explosion of air and shock waves. Saitama was sent flying a few feet before staring at Saitama with an unimpressed face.

"So this is martial arts...okay I get it!"

An exerted Suiryu looked at Saitama while catching his breath. "You've finally realized what martial arts are!?"

"So...martial arts...are spinning in a way that looks coo-like?"

Suiryu stared, absolutely baffled and sweating as he saw that Saitama was completely unimpressed or affected by martial arts. "This all he got from my attacks?" As he saw Saitama "mimicking" martial art moves by slowly spinning, he lunged forward with fury. "Take this seriousl-"

As Saitama slowly spun and Suiryu jumped forward to attack him, Saitama's hip "gently" struck Suiryu but sent him rocketing towards the spectating area. The impact pulverized what little remained of the arena as Suiryu crashed against the stands. As Saitama watched, his pants suddenly fell down, revealing his heart-filled boxers to the public. As he pulled them up, he noticed that the referees were running towards him to seize him for hiding his identity.

"Uh-oh, I guess I better get out of here," he thought before running home to change into his hero outfit."

* * *

"I can't believe you guys fell under her control!"

Fubuki stared at the Demon threat monster as she giggled happily. After having struck the Blizzard Group with her whip, they seemed to have gone into a trance-like state and were attacking their own boss. "You fell under her control!" she shouted as she jumped out of the way from an attack.

"You're cute when you're upset! But talking to them won't help," sneered Super S as she looked down on Fubuki. "Is it so hard to believe? Did you think your bond with them was stronger?" The monster laughed at the incredulous idea, "I'm sorry but they're my slaves now!"

Fubuki grit her teeth as she kept dodging her subordinates and their attacks. She was getting desperate, at this rate they would suffer defeat... she looked at the monster, thinking of a way to beat it before being forced back as Eyelashes swiped at her.

"How does it feel to lose your minions? Mwahaha! Fight or Die! You can't hold back against your former team!" Super S was dancing as she saw how helpless the psychic girl in front of her was, she couldn't do anything as her subordinates continued to attack her. By herself, she was probably a challenge, but having her group used against her made things so easy!

As Fubuki continued dodging, her back was forced to Black S as she desperately tried to avoid getting hit by her team without hurting them. Black S smiled as she brought her whip down on the now open Fubuki, only to have her whip stopped as Fubuki used her psychic abilities.

"That stings! I shouldn't underestimate it! But if I focus on it..." she barely managed to dodge as other mind-controlled heroes barely missed hitting her, "I can't defend against them!"

Saitama again appeared in her mind as she jumped back. As he stared at her she could almost hear him saying, "...one day you'll face an opponent so strong that they won't help..." She almost felt anger as she imagined hearing those words. He had been right and she had been wrong. Right now, at this moment, his words had become truth as her subordinates continued to attack her. What would he say? What would he think?

Fubuki felt a sudden surge of energy as she yelled, "enough already!" as she unleashed a wave of power that paralyzed and held her team in place as she stopped their attacks. "Saitama...I now understand what you meant..."I should have listened! If I get out of this I'll definitely get you to train me...or even better, to join my crew!"

Unbeknownst to her, Saitama was observing the very fight that was going to be an eye-opener for Fubuki herself. As he stood on top of a nearby building he crouched as he noticed who was fighting. "Huh...so it happened already? I guess it couldn't be helped," he commented as he saw Fubuki struggle as she held her opponents back. He shuddered as he felt his name be called. "That's weird," he thought with a creeped out face as he continued spectating. He was considering jumping in to help her, but then again, she had to learn her lesson to keep growing stronger. He held his chin as he looked up at the sky. Maybe if it was too much for you to handle he could step in...

"Yes! Immobilizing them was your only choice! jeered Super S as she danced in front of Fubuki. "I'm actually impressed you managed to stop all of them, but while you focus on them... my whip will feast on you!"

Fubuki only had a second to realize what super S was doing before using one hand to hold her group back with psychic energy, and the other to hold the whip. As she struggled and tried to catch her breath, she began to feel herself tiring as the Blizzard group and the whip began to inch towards her slowly. Saitama furrowed his eyes as he saw Fubuki struggle and was having a struggle withing him to decided to intervene.

As she grunted, Super S lost her composure as she began to use her full power. "I'm gonna lash you to pieces!" With a surge of power, her whip broke past Fubuki's psychic grip and struck her back. As Fubuki fell forward, she felt her body go limp and start to tingle as she felt a foreign presence within her body. Before she could piece together what the weird sensation was, SUper S began to whip her at a rapid speed to prevent her from recovering. Her costume torn from the back, and her body bleeding, Fubuki fell forward onto her knees. "Sai...ta...ma" she gasped she began losing her strength. Somehow through her struggle, even though she was probably going to die, she couldn't stop thinking of that man...but why?

The Blizzard Group lunged forward to finish her off, but Super S stopped them. "Fools! Wait! SHe's mine, don't break her! My whip hit her, she's mine to control now!" She began to walk confidently towards Fubuki. "Hmmm, who is this Saitama? Is he your lover? I wonder if he'd be able to recognize your body if I delivered them to him in pieces!" Super S shook her head as a better idea came into mind. "Better yet, since you're Blizzard, one of the two Psychic sisters, why don't I use you to draw Tatsumaki out!" said Super S as she patted Fubuki's head. "I guess I'll let you live a little bit longer, good things she's Class-S huh!"

Saitama, who was clenching his muscles as prepared to jump down, stopped as saw the air being pushed out around Fubuki in an explosion. "Geeze it's about time she started trying to actually stay alive," he said with worry. Down in the street below, Fubuki was releasing an unsurmountable amount of psychic energy, catching Super S off-guard as she was sent flying. SUper S caught herself by wrapping her whip on a telephone pole and landing on it. "She didn't fall under my control!?" she wondered.

She glared at Fubuki as she realized what must have happened. "She has a strong will...and I hate that! I can't wait to see your heart crumble!" she flinched back in surprise as FUbuki flew up to her position in an instant. Before being able to do anything, Fubuki raised her arms and pointed them at Super S, sending her flying with numerable rocks following after her in a spiraling wind.

Super S, having landed on her feet again, began giggling at the attacks before Fubuki sent a bigger current of energy towards her. "Hellsorm!" commanded Fubuki as a sudden storm of rapid winds, bone-crushing rock, and other debris surrounded Super S. Saitama smiled as he saw Fubuki was putting up a better fight than he thought...He sat down and relaxed as he waited to see what happened next. Meanwhile, as the storm dissipated, a cut and injured Super S emerged. She looked roughed up, but she still seemed far from being rendered unable to fight.

As she grasped her whip and snapped it in front of her, she hissed at Fubuki. "That hurt, you witch! I was going to use you as bait for your sister, but instead, I'm going to kill you!"

Fubuki, who was now calmer and collected after releasing her frustration, looked at Super S. "Don't worry," she muttered, "big sis will come anyway."

As if on cue, the ground and buildings around them started shaking as Tatsumaki approached them. "Why is everything shaking!?" cried Super S nervously.

Fubuki lowered her head as looked to her side as she realized that her sister was very close. "She must have sensed the damage done to me..."

A huge explosion went off near them as concrete, cars, and even trees were sent flying up into the sky. As something drew near them, the ground began shaking even more violently. Super S, who realized her mistake and that Tatsumaki might be more than what she could handle, began to step back. Before she could move more than a few steps, monster blood and guts crashed against her. As a defeated and torn monster landed beside her, it noticed her.

"Is...is that B-Black S? He-Help us! The heroes...have a monster. She-she suddenly...showed up and...killed us all."

Super S opened her eyes wide in fear as she noticed Tatsumaki up in the sky. Fubuki, who noticed her as well, began to stutter in fear. "Big Sis! I-I still haven't lost yet!"

As Tatsumaki looked down in annoyance, she glared at Fui. "Just go home already! I'll clean up your mess!"

Seeing the situation she was in, Super S ordered the Blizzard Group and the other heroes she had controlled to distract Tatsumaki as she made her escape. As they all rushed towards Tatsumaki, she easily stopped them in the air. Fubuki was paralyzed for an instant before reaching out toward her sister and crying out, "Big Sis please don't attack them! They're my comrades!"

Completely ignoring her, Tatsumaki stretched out her hand, sending the Blizzard Group crashing into the side of a nearby building. Fubuki, powerless, simply glanced at her sister.

"I told you not to attack!"

"I simply immobilized them," replied Tatsumaki coldly, "technically it wasn't an attack."

Fubuki stared at her older sister with a dumbfounded expression. "I'm pretty sure that counts," she thought.

"They're not your comrades, they're a hindrance... and are you still in that Class-B club?" continued Fubuki.

"It-It's a professional association!"

Fubuki didn't listen as she scanned the area around her. "Hmph, she escaped," she commented Tatsumaki as she saw that Super S was gone. "I'd have handled this better! I don't have time for this, there are other monsters to fight!" She began to float higher and higher as she looked back at her younger sister. "Tell your flunkies they should run instead of getting in your way!"

Before Fubuki could think of a retort, Tatsumaki had already disappeared, the only evidence of her ever being there was the monster that was letting out his last breath next to Fubuki. As she looked at where her team had gotten blown to, she noticed that Tatsumaki had even taken the time to spell "burden" with the craters their bodies had left on the wall of the building. As she looked at them in sadness, she suddenly looked at the building ledge that Saitama had been perched on. There was no mistaking it...during her fight with Super S she had sensed an enormous presence near them. It couldn't have been her sister...The aura felt different, and once Tatsumaki had drawn near, that presence had suddenly disappeared as it got farther away. There was only someone who could bring her mind to peace if she felt their energy nearby...

"Saitama," mumbled Fubuki as she clutched her chest. Had he been watching her this whole time? Had he seen her struggle against the monster only to have her older sister save her? What else had he witne-

Fubuki's face turned bright red as the earlier event came back into her mind. The fresh memory of her struggling on her knees while Super S had said "...who is this Saitama? Is he your lover?" reappeared in her mind. As she nervously shook her head while holding it with both her hands, she wondered if Saitama had heard that as well. "Why am I so worried about what he heard!?" she thought, "I'm acting like a child!" After a few minutes, Fubuki finally regained her composure before looking off at where she had felt Saitama's presence. She certainly had a lot to think about...maybe if she sought Saitama out they could figure something out...

As Fubuki continued thinking, Saitama was heading off towards the fight arena at a rapid speed. He was sweating but smiling in relief as he got farther away from the fight he had observed. "I'm lucky Blizzard and her older sister didn't see me! They would've thought I was stalking them." Saitama relaxed as he saw that the Fighting tournament was now in sight. In a way, he was happy that Fubuki had managed to hold the monster back before her older sister had arrived. She was strong, and after this accident, she could certainly realize that she couldn't depend on her team anymore. He smiled as before making a scared face. That monster had asked her if he was Fubuki's lover, but he wasn't! He looked up at the sky as he pondered about the idea. "I guess I'll talk about it with her to make sure that wasn't..." he paused as he realized he couldn't tell her anything, she'll know I was watching!" He pushed the accident behind him as he heard someone's cry for help. Maybe he could worry about this after he saved whoever was crying for help...


	7. Chapter 7- A Tingling Sensation

As the day ended and rain began to drizzle down, signaling the end of the catastrophe that had risen because of an organized attack by monsters, Saitama walked home. As he walked, he left a trail of monster blood and gore in his path. He looked ahead in boredom as he felt lost. Soon after witnessing Fubuki's fight, he had arrived at the martial arts arena where he had been a competitor while under Charanko's name. The audience he remembered cheering during the tournament had been nowhere to be found, and as he entered, he witnessed the brutal beatdown Suiryu had suffered. After destroying Bakuzan and Goketsu, he had volunteered to take Suiryu to a hospital. During the short trip, Suiryu had managed to ask Saitama several questions about himself and tried to convince him to let him be Saitama's pupil. Saitama, to his credit, had patiently answered every question that was thrown his way and even tried to comfort Suiryu.

However, deep down Saitama felt hollow. As he saw Suiryu slowly drift off to sleep from the pain of his injuries, his mind drifted to the past. He remembered how he used to receive and dish out the same amount of damage and get... a thrill out of it. He smiled as he remembered how embarrassed he felt whenever he first wore his costume. As he continued running while carrying Suiryu, he tugged on his collar. This suit was now a part of him. Not only did it represent how had far he had come in his quest to be a hero...but how much he had lost as well. Today had been a reminder, that no matter what, he was simply too strong to meet anyone that challenged him. As he dropped Suiryu off at the hospital, he began to walk home as it started to rain. He wondered how a regular person would feel if they were caught in the rain. Would they feel angry? Would they be annoyed or bothered? As he walked past a man on a bike, the man turned to face him.

"Saitama?" asked King as he removed a face mask and hat that revealed his identity (fans and monsters alike were very likely to follow him and invade his privacy if they recognized him.)

Saitama looked around in confusion after hearing his name before recognizing King. "King?" he asked surprised, "oh yeah you live around here. Is it safe for you to be out with all the monster appearances?"

King scratched his head as he began walking next to Saitama. "Yeah, there was a warning but it's quiet now. I was gonna buy a new manga but all the stores are closed," he said in disappointment as he showed Saitama his empty hands. He raised his eyebrows after realizing that Saitama seemed to be deep in thought as he stared blankly ahead. "Why so down?"

"I'm-I'm just thinking...about stuff," replied Saitama with no emotion in his voice.

King looked at Saitama with shock and worry as he thought about what to say to his friend. He tried to find what was wrong but it was so obvious... He cleared his throat as he tried to catch Saitama's attention. "Well, don't get discouraged... You're still too young to give up! Don't abandon hope."

Saitama glanced at King, almost giving him the faintest of smiles as he realized he was trying to motivate him. "King..."

King continued, "Besides, it may still grow back! They're developing hair tonics all the time!"

A vein in Saitama's head bulged as he realized what King was referring to. "That's not what's bothering me!"

King went quiet as he held his chin and before Saitama could explain what was wrong, King coughed again as if to correct what he had said earlier. "Saitama I understand you completely."

Saitama looked at him with a blank expression with a hint of surprise. "You do?"

King smiled as he looked at his friend. "Sure! You know, I used to be a young man too," he said as he laughed. "What you are going through is completely natural, it's completely normal for you to be interested in a woman."

Saitama stared back with a blank and confused expression as they continued walking. "I'm not interested in any woman."

This time it was King's turn to make a confused expression. "Wait...Saitama...are you into men? I thought you were into Fubuki! You always seem to act a little bit more cheered up from the few times I've seen you together."

The bald hero looked with at King with a face completely washed of color. "King I do like women, I'm just not interested in a woman right now. And Fubuki...she's just an acquaintance."

"You hesitated when saying the part about Fubuki being an acquaintance."

"Ok knock it off!" Saitama shot back. "The problem is... I've become too strong!"

"Huh? What's wrong with that?"

Saitama stared ahead with almost sadness as he began to describe how he felt. "No matter who I fight I don't feel anything. Even when I see new moves I don't learn anything. There's nothing left for me to gain from others."

King looked at Saitama with confusion. He couldn't really understand what he was going through, but he had to at least try something. "But...isn't it great to be strong? Especially since you're a hero!"

"King, I've reached the limit, I won't ever get to enjoy the process of growing. Think about how you max out a character's level and strength in a video game. The game stops being fun once you do that. I have no rivals, and I don't struggle in a fight...I'm just bored inside."

"Saitama, you can still do side missions or quests to have some fun," added King.

Saitama looked at King, "King, life isn't a video game!"

"You brought up video games though..."

Saitama shook his head as he realized the conversation was pointless. "You know King, in a way, I envy you." Saitama looked down as his hand as he clenched it into a fist. "I've forgotten the thrill of victory. I'm losing all human emotion, I don't even feel joy or anger! In strength, I only feel loss... As a hero, I chose this path, but I feel...lonely..."

As both of them remained quiet, only the wind could be heard as Saitama's words drifted off. King was sweating just by the effort f trying to find what to say.

"You know, maybe Fubuki can make you feel something. You said that fighting didn't make you feel fulfilled, but maybe she caaaan," added King as he gave Saitama a wink.

"I don't think so..."

King sighed in frustration. "You know, you say you're so bored but you don't even want to try. You said that you're the strongest, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're the greatest hero. And just because you feel alone doesn't mean you actually have to be alone. What if you manage to train someone and make them as strong as you are?"

Saitama held his chin as he contemplated the idea. "Nah that sounds boring."

"Well there's no reset button to your strength, and that's the only option I could think of. Tell you what... if you're so bored, why don't you come to my house to play videogames?"

"Video Games? I'm not in the mood. I don't care if I win or lose," said Saitama as he tried to hide the fact that King was getting to him.

"Come on let's do it! You said you wanted to lose sometimes right? That's why I'll waste you!"

Saitama laughed without actually laughing. "Hahahaha, your trash talk won't change my min-"

"Then how about this?" asked King as he raised both of his index fingers, "I'll only play with two fingers while looking away from the screen."

The vein in Saitama's forehead completely bulged out as he looked at King as he fully fell for the bait. "Now you've done it, I'm gonna waste you!"

As both men talked, they failed to notice the figure that staggered towards them from ahead. Garou winced as a sharp pain shot through his ribs. His martial arts attire was completely torn, and through the holes of his clothes, his skin was bleeding profusely. "Damn...I can't believe he beat me!" he thought as he recalled his encounter with Watchdogman. Soon after defeating Metal Bat, although it was by a very small margin, Garou had sought a fight with another Class-S hero. Although his initial target had been King, he had unintentionally run into Watchdog man as he was fighting monsters. Garou had initially used the audience to blend in so he could observe the hero's moves. What he witnessed was a full out slaughter as the man in the dog costume seemed to move unlike any human Garou know. Although he was unimpressed and thinking he could win, Garou had met his defeat at the hands of the "monster."

"I'm lucky I came out alive, he usually defends only his territory, I'm lucky he stopped pursuing me after I got out of it," he continued thinking as he staggered forward. "His power and speed far surpassed what I imagined. He still had more to give!" As he chastised himself for being careless, Garou recalled how, as he used Fist of Flowing Water Crushed Rock, Watchdog Man had simply jumped around and tapped his hand as if to mock him. The hero had completely destroyed his offe360-degree degree combat and forced him to remain on the defensive.

Garou grunted as he stared ahead with determination. "Our fighting styles were completely different. My technique is designed to break humans, not monsters who move on four limbs instead of two, but still..." he smiled triumphantly as he looked up at the sky. "I can still get stronger!"

Something drew him out of his daydreaming as he caught movement ahead of him. As he watched two strangers walking his way, he began feeling re-energized as he recognized King. "That's the strongest man on earth, I recognize him from the photo!" he frowned as he looked down at his injured body, but soon his smile returned as he focused on his prey.

"I can move and I'm not in pain, mentally I feel incredible! I'm full of strength!" He fixed his stance and stuck one of his knees out to ready himself to attack. "King, I'm gonna hunt you!" he exclaimed in his thoughts. As he rushed towards King, his keen eyes observed every small movement he made. "Right now, my senses are sharper than ever! I'll read his line of sight, his posture and his center of gravity," there was a 'boom' sound as he stomped on the floor with a final step as he flew at King, "I can predict all your movements!"

King, who was just telling Saitama that they should play at the caped hero's house, looked up in surprise as he saw a flash approaching him. "Huh?"

Before King or even Garou could react, Saitama casually kicked Garou, sending him flying straight through a wall.

Saitama looked at King with confusion as King began sweating as he tried to interpret what had just happened. "Umm, do you know that guy who attacked you?"

King was still preoccupied as he looked at the hole his attacker had left in a wall after Saitama had kicked him through it. "No-no I didn't get a good look at him, but I'm sure I don't know him."

Saitama looked at King with worry they kept on walking ahead. "Monsters are one thing, but there's no end to punks like him. The Hero Association contacted you right? Do you know what's going on?"

King looked at Saitama as he updated him on the situation. The increased number of attacks by monsters was apparently due to an organized group called the Monster Association. There had been reported activity of more Demon level threats and higher appearing, and as heroes were deployed to kill them and were defeated, the monsters had gotten bolder. Now there was a scarcity of heroes to stop said monsters, increasing the risk of casualties and destruction. And on top of that, there was a "human monster on the loose."

Saitama perked up a little at the mention of the human monster. "He reminds me of my earlier days as a hero..."

King looked at Saitama with surprise, "how so?"

"No one else has claimed to be a monster, he must be weird, sort of when like I proclaimed myself as a hero...Who knows, he may even be stronger than me!"

King laughed as he saw how positive and different he seemed compared to how down in the dumps he looked earlier. He elbowed Saitama in the arm, "Who knows, you and Fubuki may be dating by then as well."

"Dude you're still on with that?" asked Saitama as they continued walking, soon forgetting the dormant threat that was left behind them.

* * *

Saitama lay his head on his living room floor, grunting and clenching his teeth from frustration after being beat by King over dozens of times. King couldn't help but smile innocently smile at him as he looked at Saitama, who was almost bawling on the floor. "Maybe I overdid he," he thought. Over the last couple of games, King would let Saitama lower his health all the way down until, one or two hits could kill him, but would then recover and destroy Saitama. In their last game, King forgot that he was holding back and decided to finish Saitama off quickly. As he delivered the last punch to defeat Saitama, he started unleashing a 1059 hit combo on an already defeated character. Saitama had been tensing his neck and face in frustration, but then his anger had turned shame, and then complete depression.

"Hey Saitama, cheer up! Uhhh...sorry I overdid it!"

"Screw you, King, you enjoyed every second of it," shouted Saitama as he pointed a finger at King.

King couldn't help but grin as he nervously laughed as he saw how heated his friend was. Before he could respond, they both heard a knock on the door, causing them to turn their heads to look. Saitama began to stand up before King put a hand on his shoulder, "I'll answer the door, you keep practicing video games," King smiled as he provoked Saitama, "maybe you won't suck so much the next team I beat you."

As Saitama lost his composure and started yelling behind him, King walked towards the door. He had a gut feeling about who the person knocking on the door was. With a sly smile on his face, he approached the door. As he was about to open it, it suddenly swung open, crushing him against the wall. Fubuki stood at the doorway, glowing as her psychic powers manifested, before smiling as she walked in. As she gently closed the door behind her, King slid down the wall to the floor, knocked out from just the impact. "Why does he drink if he can't handle it," Fubuki wondered as she remembered how he had passed out after dinner together. As King twitched on the floor, Fubuki walked over to Saitama, watching as he continued playing video games.

She stood quietly as she thought of what to say. She had almost sneaked out of her headquarters but had found her team sleeping near the exit on her way out. Unbeknownst to her, her group was only faking sleep. They had begun to notice small changes in their boss soon after she had encountered the hero known as Saitama. After their encounter with Super S, they had woken up only to see a Blizzard of Terror who seemed to me thinking of something else. They had soon arrived at their headquarters to heal their wounds. They had watched as Fubuki, careful not as to not wake them, had floated gently over the floor of their headquarters to the door. As soon as she had left, the Blizzard group had started giggling and discussing where she was going to go, with a clear answer already in mind. As for Fubuki, she had walked to Saitama's house with the fresh memory of the fight earlier that day in her mind. As she stood behind him in his apartment, Saitama paused the game and looked back.

"King?" he asked before noticing Fubuki. "Umm, what are you doing in my house, it's kind of late don't you think?"

Fubuki smiled at how simple and innocent Saitama was, before sitting down next to him. "I just wanted to come by and make sure you're okay! There's been a lot of monster sightings lately."

Saitama cocked his head to the side as he looked at her. She was for sure acting strange... And she walked into her apartment casually too! He continued staring out before he gave her an innocent smile. "Ohh I'm fine, I'm glad you're fine too. It's good seeing that you're okay after fighting... if you met any monsters on the way..." he stammered as he realizing he almost gave himself away.

Fubuki pursed her lips as she tried to play off not knowing what Saitama was trying to hide. "How about I make some tea? I brought some almond croissants on the way here!" she said as she stood up. Saitama simply stared at her and nodded with a little blank smile before noticing she went to his kitchen and opened up a drawer where he stored his tea.

"How do you know where I store my tea?"

Fubuki was thrown off by the question as she stared at Saitama with a confused expression. After a few moments, she looked away with a flustered face before Saitama could keep staring so intently at her. After preparing the tea she went to sit down next to Saitama as he munched on a croissant.

She giggled as she saw that he was really enjoying himself with the croissants she brought before handing him his tea. As she studied him, she couldn't help but bring up what had been on her mind the whole day. "Sai-Saitama, why were you watching me today?"

Saitama immediately started beating his chest as he struggled to swallow the croissant that had gotten stuck in his mouth. Once he managed to gulp it down, he looked nervously looked at the ceiling as he began to sweat. "Oh man, she's going to think I was stalking her! SHe's gonna think I'm a pervert or something..." Saitama was clicking and clacking his teeth as he stared off into space while trying to choose an answer. Fubuki couldn't help but smile into her hand as she saw his reaction.

"I-I uhh... I was just passing by and I happened to see you fighting."

Fubuki frowned, "really? I'm sure I could have sensed you there the whole time."

Saitama's eyes bulged as he saw that she hadn't fallen for his white lie. "I happened to see you fighting and I just wanted to see how you did. I wasn't stalking you or anything..." he laughed nervously as he waited for his response. Fubuki simply stared at him as she tried to understand why she was shaking slightly. She'd never felt like this before and she was never at a loss for words, except when she was with her sister.

"Saitama, I want to thank you for believing in me."

"Huh?" he was expecting her to get mad after realizing that he had been watching her but it was the complete opposite. He smiled he realized that he understood his intention for doing so. "It's okay, I just wanted to see if you could get out of that situation yourself. I'm sorry I didn't intervene! You had to see yourself that numbers don't mean strength."

Fubuki frowned as she thought about how he must have seen her sister step in. It was an acknowledgment that she was still inferior to her sister...

Noticing her change, Saitama immediately tried to say something to encourage her. "You're strong, you know that right? If you're afraid of being weak, then try to survive on your own for a while. You held your own even though you fought a strong monster and your team at the same time. It was a nice fight."

As she heard his words, Fubuki couldn't help but laugh and tear up. Saitama simply looked at her with a confused expression. "Did I say something funny?" he asked innocently. After struggling to stop laughing, Fubuki was finally to take a sip of her tea.

"It's not what you said Saitama. I like you! You're so simple, or at least that's what I thought at first. You really know how to see through people, don't you?"

"I...I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh..."

They remained in uncomfortable silence while sipping their tea. Saitama quickly finished his before excusing himself as he went to serve himself more. He looked ahead of himself in relief as he began serving himself. "Crap, I'm glad she prepared for tea! I didn't have anything else to say," he thought. "I'm gonna keep refilling my tea if we get all quiet like that again."

Fubuki remained sitting down as she waited for Saitama to return. The silence between them had made her really nervous and she was growing more restless by the second. "Why did I come here?" she thought as she shifted on the floor to get more comfortable. "Did I really just come here to only thank Saitama?"

King silently watched as he saw what was unfolding in front of him. He had a devilish smile on his face after seeing Fubuki and Saitama alone trying to talk. He recalled his earlier conversation with Saitama about how he was so alone," maybe this will help, he thought. He held his head as it was still throbbing from how hard he had smacked the door when it got opened. "I should probably leave to let them have some alone time," he mumbled out of his breath as he began crawling on all fours towards the door.

As Saitama left the Kitchen, he spotted King crawling and opening the door behind him as he slithered outside. A drop of sweat went down his head as he thought, "what the heck is up with that guy?"

As he entered the living room, Fubuki was still patiently waiting for him, and not knowing what to do, Saitama asked her to play video games. He was hoping she would say yes so he could avoid the awkward silence.

Fubuki was about to say no but didn't want to leave yet, so she accepted. As Saitama explained every button on the controller and how the video game worked, Fubuki tried her best to catch everything he said so she could actually play with him. Saitama began to smugly explain that since she never played before, he was going to try and go easy on her since he was experienced. As they played, Saitama managed to beat her, by a small margin on the first three games. After that, Fubuki got the handle of the controller and began spamming buttons, which quickly overpowered Saitama. As the afternoon quickly turned into night, they continued playing, laughing or yelling as they enjoyed themselves.

Saitama was soon fuming out of his nostrils as he struggled to keep up with Fubuki, who was spamming buttons to beat Saitama. After dozens of games, Saitama was beet red as he continued to count the increasing number of losses he suffered because of Fubuki. In their final match, Fubuki continued uppercutting his character, and despite his character having already lost all of his health, she continued to punch him back up into the air. As she giggled, enjoying herself, Saitama's face was covered in shadows as he was again humiliated. As the next round began, an audible crunch could be heard as Saitama accidentally crushed his controller.

Fubuki looked at him before she started laughing, causing Saitama to smile as he saw her. As she tried to catch her breath, Fubuki pointed at Saitama. "Fufufufu, Saitama, you sure look like a... boiling egg" she snorted as she tried to stop herself from laughing. Saitama'face immediately changed as a vein popped in his head. He was annoyed but he still kind of found playing with her enjoyable, at least a little.

Once Fubuki calmed down, she frowned in disappointment as she realized they couldn't play anymore. Saitama was still giving her a glare after being beaten so many times in a video game he knew more about than her. As she managed to stop giggling, she looked out the window and saw that it was pitch black outside. How long had she been there?

"I-I think I should get going..."

Saitama, who noticed how dark it was, pursed his lips. "You can stay over tonight if you want, I don't mind."

Fubuki almost seemed to glow at the suggestion. As she considered staying or leaving, she realized she was very tired from not only being awake for so long but because of the fight, she had undergone earlier that day. "I suppose I can do that!" she said as she poked her cheek. Saitama soon led her to his bed, where he told her she could borrow it while he slept on the floor.

"Saitama, it's your bed, I don't want to be a bother," she told him politely. Saitama shrugged his shoulders and grabbed his pajama, which was lying on the table next to his bed. "It's okay, don't worry about it. Genos hasn't arrived yet, so I guess I'll sleep in his bed."

Fubuki looked at him before innocently frowning. "Maybe we can share your bed? I wouldn't mind," she suggested as she bit her cheek. Her heart was beating faster by the second.

Saitama immediately replied, "Nah it's fine," before he walked to his room's door as Fubuki followed. "Goodnight Fubuki," he said before looking away to head to the room of his pupil.

"Saitama...w-wait," whispered Fubuki. As Saitama turned to face her, Fubuki quickly floated in front of him and kissed his forehead before closing the door to his room. Saitama's face immediately flushed red as he ran to Genos's room in a panic and closed the door behind him. Fubuki had her back against her door as she smiled and held her hands to her chest. "Why did I do that!?" she asked herself as she slid down to the floor. There was no doubt about it now. She had recently been asking herself why she couldn't stop thinking about him, and now she had her answer. "But why him...?" she thought. She had seen and met plenty of male heroes who seemed to be attracted to her, but she had always paid them no mind. But, Saitama, who wasn't even showing signs of attraction, had somehow won her over.

Fubuki smiled as she stood up and lay down on Saitama's bed. The reason she had begun feeling a certain way for him was simple. He didn't have the vanity that other male heroes had. He didn't care about rank, popularity, or acceptance, he only cared about...being an ideal hero. Despite all his strength he did not judge others weaker than him and was even willing to listen. In other words, he was the opposite of her when it came to treating other heroes who were outside of her circle of trust. Maybe that attitude of his was rubbing off on her...

As she drifted off to sleep, the bald hero remained in her thoughts the whole time. Meanwhile, Saitama's bloodshot eyes were wide open as he stared at the clock ticking next to the bed of his pupil. "What the fuck?" he kept repeating over and over. He had no idea what had just happened and he had no idea what to do about it. "Why do I always let random people into my apartment if I know full well they're gonna cause problems for me. And why was King acting so weird?" He continued to stare at the door as he wondered if Fubuki was behind it, waiting to come in. Saitama started shivering as he thought how creepy that was. As the moon shined on the counter of the desk next to his bed, he smiled at how freaked out he felt. He had been alone for two years, barely interacting with people, and now he had Genos, King, Bang, Fubuki, and other heroes who were constantly bothering him. But...it wasn't so bad. Deep down he knew it was the only thing keeping him sane. He stared blankly at the clock, which kept ticking, before moving his head to touch the spot where Fubuki had kissed him. It tingled. He left out a small innocent smile before burying his head in a pillow to try to sleep.

* * *

As Garou regained consciousness, it took him a while to adjust his eyes to the darkness around him. As he noticed the different aisles of apparel, he noticed the street light that filtered through a hole that had been torn through a brick wall. He analyzed the hole as he saw the overall shape...of a person. He groaned in pain as his body suddenly screamed out in pain. He touched his stomach, where Saitama had kicked him. "What the hell happened?" he thought as he struggled to stand up. He remembered trying to fight King, but after that, everything had gone dark. He clenched his teeth as he realized King must have moved at a speed that his brain could not even fathom, and knocked him into a wall. As he stepped through the hole in the wall, he saw that it was already night.

"How long have I been out for!" he yelled into the night. As he held the side of his chest, he felt his body tremble and shake. "I need to find some shelter and heal. At this rate, any hero could take me out right now." As he stared at the moon, he grinned and clenched his fist in determination before a sharp pain went up thought his back. Maybe he could worry about hunting heroes after he healed. As he staggered into the night, a monstrous shadow could be seen where a normal shadow should have been. Soon everyone would have to face a monster beyond anything they had ever faced before...


	8. Chapter 8- The Hunt Begins

Author's Note: I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Thank you so much for the support and thank you so much for encouraging me to continue writing my story. You guys don't know much your private messages and following the story encourages me to continue. Make sure to follow "thehappy" on ! He has fanfiction inspired by Resident Evil, Fairy Tales, and even Gears of War. Go check him out! Anyways, let's continue the story shall we!"

* * *

"That should do it. How does it feel Genos?" asked Dr. Kuseno as he released Genos from a pressurized mechanical tubing.

As Genos stood up from his "operating table" he held his arms out to inspect them. As he lightly turned on his incineration hand weapons, he smiled at the already obvious improvement of his cyborg body.

"Any problems operating your new cyborg body?"

"No, none at all, thank you Dr," Genos responded curtly. "You worked on me all night despite my sudden request." Dr. Kuseno laughed as he detected the worry in the voice of Genos. "Don't worry, all I wanted was for you to be able to return back into the battlefield." He slowly made his way to a chair beside Genos as he rubbed his eyes. "When a crisis threatens humanity, I can sacrifice some sleep. I've had many ideas for improvements, and I have no doubt that they'll make you stronger," he said with a smile.

Genos was still clenching his fist as he remembered what had happened the previous day. SOo after leaving the tournament where master Saitama was competing, he had encountered and defeated two-level demon monsters. However, what wouldn't leave his memory was the overpowered sensation he felt when Goketsu had easily rendered him immobile. In a blink of an eye, a monster who's strength was immeasurable had defeated him, an S-Class hero. He had to be better than this. He looked at Dr. Kuseno with conviction in his eyes. "I will not lose again!" he declared.

Dr. Kuseno looked at the young man who was as close to being a son to him than anyone else. He hesitated before responding, "Just stay alive...Genos. When I saw you last night I recalled my own youth. I was full of righteousness and feared nothing..." he looked at Genos as he continued. "I always charged recklessly into situations." He stood up from his chair and began to leave his secret laboratory. "Nonetheless, last night taxed this old body of mine. I must rest, and you must fulfill your duty." He gave Genos one last look before leaving. "Genos, please don't be reckless."

Genos watched as the Dr. walked out of the room before clothing himself. There had been an upsurge of monster out lately, and he had to be actively hunting them down in order to ensure innocents weren't hurt. "Master Saitama must already be killing monsters as I waste time thinking," he thought, "I must move out now." As his cyborg eyes lit up with energy, he walked out of the laboratory with no fear deterring him.

* * *

In an abandoned forest, peace and quiet reigned as the beautiful sun began rising over the mountains in the background. A flock of birds suddenly flew as they became agitated while the trees below them shook as something powerful moved within them. On the floor of the forest, everything seemed to still remain peaceful until an object pierced several trees in its path. Saitama's expression remained a simple blank stare as an additional dagger pierced his forehead.

Sonic stepped down, barely bothering the floor below him as he swiftly bound forward to see his work. He pulled a dagger out of a picture with Saitama's face on it in silence. He stared at his dagger before feeling his hair stand up on end as he sensed someone nearby. He stared ahead as his eyes looked around, trying to find what had violated his training grounds. "Someone's here, show yourself!" he commanded as he directed his voice towards the forest. The forest remained silent, the only evidence of someone being there was the soft breeze that gently caressed his neck as he felt someone behind him.

He quickly pivoted on his feet as he whirled around to attack the being behind him. As he did so, he felt another presence behind him as he was struck from behind.

"Are you Speed-O'-Sound Sonic?" a male voice jeered, "you disappoint me!"

As Sonic jumped forward and spun in the air, using the strike to his back as momentum, he gained some distance before digging his foot unto the floor as he quickly tried to face who or what attacked him. "Tch! It's two against one!?" he thought in his mind before kicking into a higher gear, using the trees around him to confuse his opponents as his surge of speed propelled him away from the area. He was sure they would follow. As he pulled out his sword, he continued accelerating. "If you know who I am... and you're still attacking me, then you must be ready to die!"

His eyes soon opened wide as two figures whirled around him, keeping up with his speed. As both figures converged on him, he spun in the air, swinging his katana with murderous speed, only to have his attacks parried. As one of the men attacking him lunged in with a definite strike, Sonic used the other attacker's momentum by swinging his katana and having it pushed away as he spun to slice up his other opponent, who also stopped his sword. At the same instant, Sonic threw a shuriken at his head, which stopped mere inches from his opponent's eye as he stopped it with two fingers. Just as a smile had begun to form on his face, he noticed the beeping shuriken before it exploded.

As Sonic landed on his feet while scanning the area around him, someone stepped out of the smoke from the exploding Shuriken.

"Attacking? That sounds harsh, we were just being playful..." a male with long golden hair and another man with spiky black hair approached him while smiling with malice. "...and rough-housing with a younger comrade."

The Goldy Locks man continued smiling as he said, "I'm from Golden 37! I am Tempest Wind."

The man with the spiky hair and scowl on his face simply stared Sonic down as he lowly grumbled, "I am Hellfire Flame."

Sonic tensed up and he soon began to sweat as he recognized both men, former classmates from the Ninja village he was raised in. His eyes narrowed as Tempest Wind raise the picture of Saitama that he used for practice. "Who's this, your next target? Still scraping by as an assassin and bounty hunter?" asked Tempest Wind as he shredded the paper in an instant. "What a waste of skills..." added Hellfire Flame with an unimpressed expression.

Sonic raised his katana as he looked at both former ninjas with anger. "That doesn't concern you. What do you want with me." he hissed.

Tempest Wind smiled before shrugging and raising his arms as if waiting for the applause of an invisible audience. "We bring an invitation. How about trying something bigger?"

"Bigger?"

"Yes, as monsters who surpass human humanity, we plan to rule the earth..."

Hellfire Flame looked at Sonic as he eyed him up and down. "The Monster Association accepts only monsters, and we're members. This sad and pitiful world is about to be overturned." Tempest Wind smiled as he glanced at Hellfire before looking at Sonic. "We're inviting you to come aboard, consider it an honor!"

Sonic simply stared back, completely unimpressed, weighting the katana in his hands and running his index finger down the hilt as he considered attacking. "Sounds like nonsense, what's in it for you?"

"We're simply trying to recruit new fighters. Us three know that speed is strength. And to be frank with you..." Hellfire and Tempest Wind suddenly acquired a murderous glare, "we want to kill the hero Flashy Flas-"

Sonic interrupted as he waved his hand in disgust. "Don't make me laugh. I have neither the obligation nor the time for that. Get lost or die."

"...shall I give you a glimpse... of my monster form?" Tempest Form murmured. Sonic immediately became tenser as he tried to prepare himself for an unexpected attack. "Like I said...It's an association ofmonster...so we too..." Sonic's face paled as he realized Tempest Wind had disappeared from his line of sight. "...are monsters..." a low murderous hiss came next to his ear.

Sonic's blood ran cold as he tried to understand how this monster had gotten behind him in that instant. He stared at Hellfire Flame as he slowly moved his eyes to the side to see the most he could out of Tempest Wind. "H-how did you get such speed!? he mumbled as he began to nervously sweat. "Regular training does not yield results like that!"

The monstrous Tempest Wind, who stood behind Sonic returned to his human form as he smiled. "Training?" he scoffed, "I simply monsterized...those of us with control of our body can become monsters without losing our humanoid form."

"Normal chumps go wild and crack up..." Sonic stared at Hellfire Flame, whose face was that of a monster, as he tracked where the voice came from. "...but you're from the village, so you'll gain incredible strength without a hitch."

Sonic stared at his hand as he sat in a room of an abandoned building. He stared at the monster cell in his hand. He flexed his hand and tightened his grip on nothing as he stared ahead. "No matter how much I train, I can't even imagine beating Saitama..." he thought. "But I hunger to beat him, and I would do anything to win..." He clutched the monster cell in his hand as he stared at it. "With this... I can even surpass Tempest Wind and Hellfire Flame. But if I eat this...I'll no longer be human..." His face was hidden in shadows, almost completely dark, with his eyes the only thing visible. "...but I basically died the day he defeated me, I have nothing else to lose."

Sonic raised the monster cell in his mouth, an evil smirk on his face as he began to open his mouth. "Saitama! I'm going to become a monster!"

Bang and his older brother Bombstared at the city from a high point perch on a building. Bang was studying the streets, hoping to see a sign of his former apprentice Garou as his eyes scanned the city.

You spent all day helping fight monsters! Is that your profession now?" asked Bomb as he jumped down from another building to stand next to his younger brother. Seeing that Bang was lost, deep in thought, as he looked at the city, Bomb sighed. "Listen, Bang..." he started hesitantly, "maybe a hero or monster defeated Garou during all this fighting."

Bang continued looking at the city as a sad expression washed upon his face. "I doubt that older brother, I did not raise him to be weak..." he clenched his hands behind his back, "that's why it's my responsibility to beat him. He may be aware that I'm pursuing him, so keep your senses sharp in case of an attack.

Bomb smiled as he stared at Bang. "Hey, who do you think you're talking to?"

Bang smiled slightly, but the sadness in his old eyes remained. "Garou..." he said quietly;y in his mind, " do you realize what it means to become a monster?"

Sonic stared at a fancy dish in front of him as vapor wafted out of the cooked monster cell lying on it. Next to it were mashed potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, and a hint of lemon. On the side of the dish win was on the wait in case he got thirsty. "I wonder if it was okay to cook it?" he asked himself, "it's best to avoid eating strange raw meat."

He stared silently at his meal as he poked the monster cell with his knife before picking it up with his fork. "Oh well... no use overthinking it," he thought as he began to chew on the monster cell. "Saitama! Prepare to meet your doom!" As soon as he waited for the effects to come into place, Sonic simply stared at his empty plate. He didn't feel anything different...that was strange. He stood up and walked around the room. As he did so, he began to feel something stir withing his stomach, it had started! As he began smiling, thinking he was about to become a monster, Sonic clenched his stomach. Something didn't feel right... As he ran home he immediately closed the door to the bathroom behind him as diarrhea kicked in...

* * *

"Tell me Gyoro-Gyoro..." Orochi's eyes lit up and the floor shook as his voice created vibrations on the floor. "what happened to Goketsu and why did he not show up at our meeting yesterday? Something tells me you're withholding information from me."

Gyoro Gyoro looked up at the monster King Orochi with his hundred eyes as she casually sat in her chair. "One of my eyes came upon his body while scanning the area, he was defeated..."

King Orochi stared at her his horns began to snake around his own head. "That is...unexpected. It will certainly cause problems for our planned operation. But who defeated him?"

Gyoro Gyoro hesitated as she clasped her hands together. "That I do not know. It appears he was taken out with a massive blow, and his head was lying a couple of miles away." A massive wave of fire came her way before she directed it to the sides with her psychic powers. She looked up at Orochi as she smiled with her eyes. "Even if a cadre was defeated, our plan will continue. We have already laid out contingency plans for the rest of the heroes."

Orochi stared at her before standing up and breathing out a wave of flames in anger. "Very well then...find out who killed Goketsu... I'll prepare more monster cells for you, but we warned" he grabbed a random monster who was walking nearby and crushed it in his giant hand. "I will erase your existence from this world."

Gyoro Gyoro looked up in amusement. With the hostage, a son of one of the main donators to the Hero Association, everything would go according to plan and the heroes would soon fall into their trap...

* * *

Meanwhile, in the abandoned outskirts of city Z where Saitama made his home, several monsters were gathered. As they stood in the middle of a street, they could be seen trying to read a newspaper. "The Monster Association...they didn't publish the location of their headquarters, but if I had to guess, it must be in this city," said one of the monsters as he began walking down the street.

"There'es a lot of that presence here that only we monsters feel!" exclaimed another.

"Then let's go to the headquarters!"

"I wanna join the association too!"

A chorus of monster voices could be heard throughout the town in City Z as they made their way to the spot they believed they would encounter other monsters. "We're gonna massacre all the heroes!" they all declared together as their stampede shook the window stills in the building around them.

As Saitama stopped, he looked behind him to see all the monsters that he had killed lying on the floor behind him. "Huh, there's a lot of monsters today." He stared at the things lying dead on the floor with a blank expression as he looked up in wonder. "Are all these guys coming to attack me or something?" he wondered. His trash bag that carried in his left hand rattled as he continued walking, causing him to look at the watch in his right hand. "I'm gonna miss the garbage truck!" he panicked as he ran top speed towards his house.

As he saw a drone approaching his apartment, he quickly jumped up to his balcony and smacked his trash bags against the floor, letting out a deep sigh as the drone simply picked up his trash and carried it away. After watching it leave, Saitama simply looked at the city view he had from his balcony before going back into his apartment. As he walked inside, he saw Fubuki stretching in his living room as she watched tv.

Saitama's mouth hanged open as he saw the woman was still in his house. "What are you still doing here!?" he questioned her as he pointed at her while sweat ran down his face.

Fubuki looked back at Saitama with an innocent face before smiling and looking back at the tv. "Well, I saw that a member of the Blizzard Group was alone, and I simply can't have that!" she said as she shrugged.

Saitama made an annoyed expression as he looked at her. "Are you really still on about that?" He held his chin for a second before smacking his fist against his hand. "Err... Fubuki, what about if we go outside for a bit and take a walk?"

Fubuki looked at Saitama with her mouth in an o-shape as she tried to think of an answer, what had gotten into him? She blushed a little as she remembered how she had kissed his forehead the previous night. "S-sure she mumbled!" As she stood up, she followed Saitama to his front door, which he held open as he waited for her to go through. Fubuki was smiling as she walked outside, "so where do y-..." she was interrupted as the door closed behind her.

Her eyes immediately lit up as she angrily realized she had been tricked. As she tried to think about what to do, she was interrupted as she saw King coming down the hallway. His King engine was immediately audible as he walked up to her. As she nervously looked at him, the only thing she could stammer was a weak, "H-hi, Ki-king."

King looked at her and raised his hand in a greeting as he walked towards the door. After knocking on it a few times, he could hear Saitama on the other side yelling "I'm not going to be joining your group!"

As King stopped knocking on the door he gave Fubuki a questioning look. He sighed as he saw that she looked like an injured pup. "Fubuki how'd you screw it up?" he asked as he looked down at her. Fubuki was rubbing her arm as she looked to the side. She looked up at the mention of her name. "What do you mean?"

King smacked his forehead as he tried to gather his bearings. "Fubuki, it's super obvious you have something for Saitama, I'm not wrong am I?" Fubuki's eyes immediately widened as she heard the straightforward answer. Before she could answer, King, continued, "you know that I'm trying to help you too right?"

Fubuki awkwardly at King at a loss for words, what was he even saying. King had begun clearing his throat as he continued, "Saitama is more worried about other things. He feels alone, and even though he might like your company, you're not helping yourself by constantly pestering him with joining your blizzard group. You know the type of man he is, he doesn't care or need to be in a group, all he needs are friends."

Fubuki was still struggling to catch up with how quickly the situation had escalated. One day she was kissing Saitama's forehead and the other she was being pushed out of his apartment while King chastised her.

"Fubuki, you need to start thinking about whether you think you like Saitama because of who he is or because you want him to be one of your tools like your Blizzard Association, but it can't be both." He crossed his arms as he stared her down, "I know you did not leave his apartment the whole night yesterday..." Fubuki was now beat red and psychic energy was flowing out of her as she thought of a way to silence King up in order to hide her shame. "I don't know if something happened but you should take the time to reflect. A partner is not a tool, he is someone who you lean on even in the hardest of times..." His heartbeat increased as he ran out of things to say, he had mostly been inspired by college lover story manga he had been reading to teach Fubuki a lesson.

They both remained quiet before they heard Saitama open the door. He stared blankly at them before directing his gaze to only King. "Yo, ready to play?" King shot a glance at Fubuki before walking in right after Saitama. As he gave her a comforting smile, he asked, "do you want to come in and join us?"

Fubuki mutely replied with a no before using her psychic ability to float down to the street below, Saitama's door closing gently behind her. Fubuki stomped on the floor with frustration as she landed. Everything had gone so well, and now this suddenly happened!? She frowned as she realized her stupid mistake. King was right, ever since the beginning, Saitama had shown distaste for joining groups, but that didn't mean he could act so harshly! As she looked back at his apartment, she began to fly home using her ability, while still thinking about the night before. King's words remained in her head and she continued to replay them over and over again. She really had to talk to him to make sure he kept everything secret, but how did he even know about how she felt if he barely even saw her with Saitama? And what did he mean by saying he was trying to help her? As she arrived at her headquarters she noticed a letter on the front door: "We went out to hunt monsters, Ms. Fubuki! Enjoy your day off!" she smiled as she read the letter. As she entered her headquarters she saw how empty it was, her footsteps audibly echoing off the walls as she walked up the stairs towards her room. She really had a lot to think about... as she went up to her balcony she began recalling the events from the last two weeks. Saitama...ever since the first day she met him the world had seemed to explode as her eyes had been opened. She had learned what it meant to be truly strong, and what a hero should be, but she did not realize why it was so wrong to have him join her group.

King had told her that she saw her own subordinates as tools, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she didn't. She cared for them and even saw them as her own family. As for Saitama, she was certain that she wasn't confusing her feelings for him with her intent to join her group.

Fubuki bit her lip as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I want to be stronger," she decided. "I want to be so strong that I can be next to Saitama, protect him, and not have to depend on him if I ever get into danger. And I want my sister to accept me..." She pushed away from a wall she was leaning against as she got ready to go out again. She was so frustrated and stressed that killing any monster in her way would really improve her mood. As she made her way out of her headquarters, she had a huge smile spread across her face. She didn't care if Saitama joined her or not, at least not as a member, but maybe he could join her as a partner? She giggled at the thought. King had mentioned Saitama felt lonely, she could use this opportunity to get close to him! Saitama wasn't a tool, she understood that. And she would make him understand that she truly believed that. But the bald hero would definitely reciprocate her feelings. He was special...a man like no other...and she was going to stop at nothing to win his trust.

"Maybe I can pay him another visit..." she thought as crushed a monster in her way with her psychic abilities. "I should probably apologize...knowing him he will certainly forgive me. I've been following his advice for the most part, and he had seen that...just yesterday." She stopped in her tracks as she considered what that meant. "Maybe Saitama...maybe he had feelings for her but he just didn't realize it!" she thought.

"Yeah she kissed my forehead," Saitama said while keeping his blank mask of a face on.

King simply gawked at Saitama as he saw how casually he revealed the piece of information. Fubuki had not wasted time at all huh...but maybe...if this was the case like the love story he had read in manga...this was love at first sight! While King's imagination got carried away about how Saitama could be happy, Saitama only watched as his face morphed into a hideous, twisted grin. Using King's distraction to his advantage, Saitama began mashing buttons on his controller in order to destroy King. Catching on to what was happening, King immediately finished off Saitama, who seemed to almost steam with frustration.

As King tried to stifle his laughter, he patted Saitama's back. "You know, you shouldn't be so hard on Fubuki, it seems like she's grown really attached to you lately." Saitama looked up at him as e put his controller down. He held the back of his head as he responded, "You're right, I just felt really weird yesterday after she did that, and I was honestly not ready for something like that to happen again in the morning."

King smiled at Saitama, seeing how, despite his strength, he was still human, and he still seemed inexperienced with this kind of stuff. He paused as he looked around the living room. "Hey Saitama, if Fubuki slept here last night, where did Genos go? I don't see him anywhere."

Saitama was in the process of restarting the game but looked at King. "He never came yesterday, but he called me this morning to tell me he was getting repairs and an upgrade. Apparently, he's out there monster hunting."

King looked down at his phone as a disaster level dragon appeared on the screen with red, bold letters announcing the hero hunter had been spotted. "This doesn't look good, Saitama, it's a tough monster, and knowing Genos he's gonna want to fight him."

"Ah, he'll be able to handle it!" Saitama said with a smile before hesitating. He imagined Genos all torn up and destroyed in his mind. "On second thought, let's head out King. Genos might get hurt. And if Fubuki does what I think she'll do, she'll want to fight someone strong in order to better her rank. I don't want her to get hurt-" Saitama paused as he heard the words come out of his mouth. King, who had been ready to go, looked at Saitama with an understanding smile. "So, she's starting to grow on you too huh..."

Saitama noticed King staring at him. "Let's just go!" he said

***10 minutes earlier***

As Garou woke up, his injuries still fresh and fever running rampant within him, he grunted as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with a rag. "The fever won't let go..." he thought, "At this rate, I'll be stuck in bed for another two to 3 days and be unable to fight." He suddenly shot up in alert as he heard a noise near him. "Whos there?" he shouted as he noticed the kid who startled him fall back in fear.

The kid was shaking as he saw Garou stand up from bend and walk towards him as he stopped a few feet away. "What are you doing here?" asked Garou in a warning voice.

"Th-th-this...this hut...is ours..." stammered the kid nervously as he looked up at Garou, who towered over him. "O-our secret...base I mean..."

Garou stared at the kid and let out a deep breath. It was the ugly kid he had seen twice before with the hero catalog... "Hey, you! You're the boy who was reading the hero directory the other day right?"

The kid stopped crying and shaking in fear as he recognized Garou. "W-what? You're the old man who likes monsters!" he said happily as he saw that he wasn't in danger.

Garou frowned as he heard how the kid addressed him. "I'm not that old you know that right? What do you want?"

The kid stood up as he gathered his courage. "G-get out o-of this house...please?" he jumped back and let out a shriek as Garou suddenly tensed and leaned down to look at him.

"Huh? Who are you to boss me around huh!?" He waited for a response but saw that the kid was still shaking uncontrollably as he tried to talk. Garou sighed as he noticed the fear in the kid's eyes. "...if you're that scared, congrats on coming here alone."

The kid was still shaking as he eyed Garou, debating whether he should book it out of the abandoned house they were currently in. "Err...well... the guys told me I should come here..."

Garou winced as he saw how terrified the kid was, realizing he must have been forced to do so. "What? Kid, you gotta say no when they start trying to push you around!" As he saw the kid almost brake out wailing again, he raised his hand. "Hey, stop crying, you look awful. I don't plan on staying around much so relax. I gotta stay on the move, so I'll just let things cool down here and then I'll move out." His expression hardened as he glared at the boy. "If that ain't enough for you...then bring all your friends and come at me! You get the tune here boy?"

"Ye-yes!" the kid answered obediently.

As Garou looked at him, he decided to sit down to have a talk. "Hey kid, want to learn something good? I can teach you how to get rid of bullies..."

The kid looked up in hope as he stared at Garou. "Y-yes please!"

As they were talking, the kid's friends were studying the building from a safe distance outside. While wondering why their friend had taken so long, a figure stepped out of the shadows behind them. "Boys, get away right now," it warned, "staying here is dangerous."

As the boys looked up in shock, they saw Death Gatling, Smile Man, and stinger walk past them. As they marbled over being able to see these heroes up close, more heroes emerged from behind them.

"Man! That's awesome, it's a big hero squad...but why though?" they asked unison.

Stinger smiled at the boys while he shushed them. "You're sure you saw the hero hunter last night?" Smiling Man asked as he looked at Death Gatling.

"Yeah... I tailed him last night, and he stopped here. We took turns watching the hut ever since, there's no way he could have slipped through our sight. Right Chain'n' Toad?" he asked as he looked at the hero. As he touched his frog mask in shame, the Toad hero looked at Death Gatling. "Err...I kinda had to go use the toilet for about fifteen minutes..."

The Hero Glasses butted in as he pointed out that they had surrounded the park and Garou couldn't have escaped. As the heroes stared down the hut, they all readied their weapons in determination. Death Gatling stared at the hut with anger as he thought, "Garou the hero hunter... today you'll get a taste of what it feels like to be hunted!"

Meanwhile, Garou was laughing as he was trying to teach the ugly kid about how he should get stronger to avoid being bullied. As the kid prepared to get ready to leave, he began opening the house's door to leave, when Garou sensed it. Around the house...there was a strong killing aura. The heroes tensed as they prepared to fight and kill whatever stepped out the barn first.

"Impossible...he's already healed!?" Death Gatling asked himself.

"Wait!" shouted Garou as he stopped the kid from opening the door fully. "I've been teaching you something good, so in return...why don't you let me borrow that catalog of yours? You brought it with you, right? Why don't you hand it over?"

The kid hesitated as he pulled it out of his pants. "Uhh, sure, but why do you need it?"

"Just hand it over."

As Garou started flipping through the book, he looked at the kid. "Is this the latest addition? Does it include every hero and their name on the list? And does it have how they fight and their specialties, stuff like that?"

The kid shook his head. "No. Some heroes sell their information for fanservice, even their moves and secrete. But there are others who refuse to do it and don't sell their merchandise."

Garou frowned as he heard the information and walked over to one of the walls. He used his finger to poke a hole through the aluminum wall so he could look outside. As he propped the hero catalog below the whole, he began to look outside. "Let's see who they are..." As he scanned the area, he noticed all the heroes who waited outside. "There's 4 on the front," he thought. "A-Class rank 8 Death Gatling, rank 10 Stinger, rank 27 smile man, and Class-B rank 6 Wildhorn..." he looked closer as he spotted two heroes in the back. "There's also A-Class rank 36 Chainin'n' Toad and B-Class hero 21 Glasses." He grimaced as he spotted two more heroes. "Then there's those two at the sides, B-Class rank 43 Gun Gun and rank 99 Shooter!"

Garou stepped back from the peephole as he began to assess the situation, sweat running down his face from his fever and the situation he was in. "So there's eight in total huh... Normally I'd win easily but right now I'm worn out and injured from consecutive battles... It won't be easy!"

He slammed the book down on a table as he began skimming through it, trying to sponge up as much information as he could about the heroes. Suddenly, he heard shots outside as Death Gatling let bullets fly up into the air.

"EEEEKK! WHAT IS THAT SOUND!?" shrieked the kid standing next to him.

"COME OUT HERO HUNTER! YOU MUST ALREADY KNOW THAT WE ARE HERE! YOU MUST BE FEELING UNSURE, HIDING IN THAT WEATHERED DOWN HUT!" screamed Death Gatling as he glared at the hut where Garou was hidden.

"Tch! There's no time!" Garou began to flip through the book faster as he did his best to memorize his opponents' moves. "Old man there's someone outside!" warned the kid standing behind him. "Shut up! I need to focus!" Garou snapped back.

Death Gatling aimed his minigun at the hut as he prepared to shoot. "Brat you need to get down!" warned Garou as he finished skimming through the book as he continued sweating. He slammed it down and began walking out the hut. "Fine! Don't shoot!"

"You're pretty modest!" Stinger noticed, "you gonna surrender?"

"Don't be stupid, I need a bed to sleep in after i beat you guys!" hissed Garou.

"Hunt us down?" repeated Wildhorn.

Death Gatling raised one of his arms to stop Wildhorn as he looked back at him. "He's provoking us into confusion. Don't fall for it." He swung his head around as he stared at Garou, sizing him up. "You don't look so good, you really are weakened after all." He raised his minigun as he pointed it at a sweating Garou with a High fever. "We'll capture you alive and take you to the association. Your motives and your accomplices, you will tell us all about it," he warned.

Garou sneered. "That's our dear heroes, telling me you won't kill me. How nice of you!"

"Don't celebrate so soon. We won't let you escape no matter what. You'll regret calling yourself a monster..."

The kid looked out the peephole as he saw all the heroes surrounding the abandoned hut. "Wow!" he thought, "They're all heroes! And they're all really strong, I'm so lucky!"

Garou stood his ground as he challenged the heroes surrounding him. "You're the one s who will regret calling yourself heroes... right now!" he finished as his tense muscles propelled him into the air, landing him on top of the hut. "With you... I'll surpass my hero hunt of 100 heroes!" he declared. Gungun instantly drew his pistols as he shot at Garou, who had already jumped to a tree in preparation to pounce.

"And my first victim...will be you!" he screamed as he lunged at the hero.


	9. Chapter 9- Stairway To Monsterhood

Garou dodged to the side, pivoting on both of his feet as Chainin'n Toad's weapon flew past him. As he began to smile as he saw how simple the attack was, he noticed that something had created a large shadow on the floor as it blocked out the soon. Reacting with pure instinct, he jumped back as Smiley Man's enormous ball crushed the spot he had just been standing on. As soon as he jumped back, he felt a killer aura behind him, forcing him to quickly dodge to his left as Wild Horn tried to stab him with his weapon. Using the momentum from his dodge, he whirled around as he prepared to throw a punch, which was thrown out of trajectory as he felt something pierce his leg.

Stinger quickly tried to take advantage of the moment by rushing forward with his stinger spear, which Garou parried as he used his flowing water crush rock technique. Garou tried to jump out of the vicious circle he was stuck in as all the heroes surrounded him, threatening to overwhelm him. "Damn it!" he thought. "Their battle plan centers around Death Gatling! When I get in close Wild Horn and Stinger are waiting with their lethal weapons..." He lunged forward as he saw that Glasses was out of formation but was stuck by Chainin'n Toad's blunt end weapon in the side. Holding his stomach, Garou turned to face him and reared back as he saw Smiley Man in the process of delivering a strong blow with his smiling ball as Chainin'n Toad threw the sharp end of his weapon at him.

The ground beneath him cracked and gave way as Garou attempted to use force to stop himself from sliding back after Smile Man's ball connected, but not before Garou blocked the blow with his arms. As a dagger floated above him, Chainin'n Toad pulled the chain to his weapon, causing the blade to fly past where Garou's head had just been before he dodged.

"He dodged my ear cutter coming from a blindspot with just instinct," noted Cahinin'n Toad as he spun his knife in his hand, "he is no moron, his senses are terrifying."

As Garou began catching his breath Smile Man jumped next to his hero friend. "I should have expected no less from Silver Fang's disciple!"

"Let's not give him any time to think!"

Garou's head shot up as he saw his attacker launch projectiles at him. "In mid-range, there's Chainin'n Toad's and Smile Man's non-stop attacking..." He jumped out of the way as Smile Man's ball and Toad's blade flew at him. As he jumped forward, the ground behind him was crushed under the ball's weight, and he was forced to lean forward to touch the blade that almost grazed his back. His eye swerved to the side as he saw Gun Gun aiming his gun at him. As he jumped up and bent his body in a flip, a bullet flew past, striking a tree behind him. As he landed on his back, he barely had time to feel the impact as he saw a barrage of arrows rain down on him. He quickly pushed himself off the ground with both of his hands and toes, spinning in the air with his arms close to his chest to avoid as many arrows as possible. On his landing, he again pushed himself off the floor with his powerful arms as he spun backward, stopping himself on all fours as 2 arrows were lodged into his back.

"I hit him!" announced Shooter as he again took aim with his bow and arrow. "In two minutes, the poison in my arrow will leave him paralyzed!"

Garou set his sight on the archer as he struggled to keep an eye open from his fever and exhaustion. "...and when I distance myself too far, I'm being showered Shooter and Gun Gun's barrage. Garou turned to the side as he saw Glassed picking up arrows and gathering them ina quiver. "That guy...what has he been doing this whole time?"

Glasses finished gathering the arrows in the quiver as he launched them at Shooter. Garou narrowed his eyes as he spotted his next victim. "He's a genuine support type at a fixed distance, not too close and not too far..." he tensed his muscles and positioned his hands into claws as he lunged forward. "You will be my shield!" he snarled.

Noticing what he was trying to do, Glasses jumped back as Garou swiped at the place where had been just a second before. Garou grit his teeth in frustration, "You won't get away!" As he continued running forward, Glasses threw rocks at Garou to distract him as he closed the distance between them. Garou snarled in anger. "Throwing rocks!? Annoying bastard! Fodder should just stop resisting!" He quickly used Flowing Water Crush Rock to catch all the rocks before they hit him. He hesitated as he realized that continuing to move forward would mean Shoot and Gun Gun would let projectiles fly at him. Suddenly, Glasses lunged forward and began rapidly punching him in the face before Garou could react.

"This guy...isn't too bad," he thought, "he's not just fodder!"

Glasses stood in a ready position with both of his fists raised as he faced Garou. "' You won't get away' is my line," he warned, "I'm not only here for battle support, but I'm also responsible for chasing you down if you try to run away." Garou only stared in shock as he continued staring at Glasses. "In terms of willpower, I won't lose to you... if it's a drawn-out battle you want, be my guest. However, your fatigue, poison, and sickness won't get you far." As Glasses jumped back, Wildhorn and Stinger closed in once again.

"Before I noticed, they closed in the distance again...Garou staggered as he fought to maintain his strength, "I don't have anything to break through this defense!" he thought.

Seeing that Garou was standing still, the heroes again closed in on him on all sides before Death Gatling spoke up. "This is your last chance to surrender, my gun is pointed at you right now. If you threaten the lives of any of us, I will not hesitate to shoot." Garou frowned as he continued thinking of a way to escape. "What a shame hero hunter," continued Death Gatling, "Everyone here has face death in one way or another, they're all recognized heroes!" His gun whirled as he aimed it at Garou. "All this, to hunt you..."

The kid in the house began sweating in terror as he saw that the old man was in trouble...

"They're elites huh..." Garou grinned as he laughed at the words uttered by Death Gatling. "Hehe... I can't be the only one who is put off by that statement can I?" All the heroes surrounding him tensed up in preparation for Garou to do something. "What about the S-Class!? I beat 2 of the Hero Association's S-Class heroes and they send a gang of losers after me? HAHA! This isn't even enough to get my heart pumping!"

Death Gatling glared at Garou with fury. "So you only care about S-Class heroes too...?"

"Huh?"

"They're so popular and are practically treated like royalty... they're not special. We're all heroes!" Death Gatling started shouting as he got more heated by the second. "As someone who is getting so much attention for beating S-Class heroes, you're the perfect target for us!"

Garou smile at the heroes facing him in contempt. "So you didn't call S-Class heroes on purpose huh..." Garou was worrying internally. It was getting harder for him to breathe by the second, the poison must have been taking effect. "I have to win! I can't fall here!" he screamed internally.

Garou took a stance and placed his arms up in a defensive position as he tried to smile. "These guys...are just a stairway...to becoming a true monster!" Garou clenched all of his muscles as his willpower urged for him to continue fighting. "I have no intention of going down!"

Garou dodged as the heroes began unloading another barrage of attacks at him. Je jumped and twisted in the air as he dodged Smile Man's ball, and on his landing, he crouched down to avoid Toad's blade. He automatically began somersaulting back as arrows began striking the floor where he would jump from to avoid being hit.

"The poison has been in his veins for some time now," pointed out Death Gatling as he analyzed Garou's slightly slower movement.

As Garou remained in his stance, he was struggling to bleed as the poison worked through his body, his injuries, and illness further punishing him for pushing himself. He suddenly began to have flashbacks of how when he was a child, other kids would cheer for the heroes and against the monster. Despite being outnumbered, the monster always fought back...but it was hopeless. Only he rooted for the monster, hoping that despite all odds, he could fight the heroes off and survive. Garou was snapped back to the present as he let out a breath, demonstrating his martial arts technique before stumbling on a rock as he staggered from his weakness.

"Got you!" declared Chainin'n Toad as he saw the opening and wrapped his chain around Garou's leg. "Ankle Snag!"

As Garou was almost pulled off his feet, he could sense Smile Man launching his ball at him again. In a surge of strength, Garou stomped his foot on the floor, reclaiming his leg that was being pulled by Chainin'n Toad and pulling the hero off balance.

"What is he-!?" let out the hero before seeing use his now powerful footing to spin in place. As he did so, Garou used Flowing Water Smash Rock as he pulled his fist back before smashing it against Smile Man's ball with all his strength.

"He's good!" was all Chainin'n Toad could think before he was crushed under the ball, his chain and dagger landing it Garou's hand. "Chainin'n Toad!" screamed Smile Man. Smile Man felt as the taunt wire connecting his hammer to his ball was suddenly snapped as he jumped back. "Dammit!"

Garou immediately covered his face with the dagger as Gun Gun began shooting at him. "Watch out! The crook has a dagger!" He quickly unloaded his gun unto Garou, who instantly took cover behind Smile MAn's ball to shield himself.

"What, when I do it it's wrong then!?" he taunted, "That's discrimination you bastards!" He took a deep breath as he faced the ball, the tip of his fingertips on it with one of his hands. As he clenched that arm, he one-inch punched it, sending it rocketing towards Gun Gun, who had no time to react before he was sent flying into the air from the impact. The ball ricocheted off other trees as it made its way towards Wildhorn.

"Watch out!" warned Smile Man as Wild Horn jumped forward, destroying the ball with a powerful stab with the tool on his hand. As the ball shattered, he saw Garou jump through. AS he tried to run, he realized his legs were chained up, making him easy prey for Garou to simply hoist up as he blocked the rain of arrows that fell on top of him.

"He's using Wild Horn as a shield to completely block my rain of arrows..." a shocked Shooter noticed as he saw Garou's vicious technique, "it means he's mastering the timing for my arrow rain attack..."

Glasses slid in front of Garou as he reared his arms, letting rocks fly at Garou as he yelled, "his arm is exposed!" Seeing through the attack, Garou swiftly moved his arm, gathering al the rocks in his hand, "Thanks! I was counting on these!" As Shooter took aim at his back, Garoun launched all the rocks his way, smashing them against his flailing body.

As Stinger saw the tide of the battle being turned over, he lunched forward to attack Garou, only to have his path blocked as Garou buried Wildhorn's head through the dirt in front of him. Garou smiled as Stinger was forced to stop and jump back, half of the heroes remained...

Smile Man looked back at Death Gatling. "If we insist on capturing him alive, we all might end up dead! I don't find the idea very funny..." Death Gatling furrowed his eyes as he stared at Garou, "...yes... he has made a choice!"

Predicting what Death Gatling would do, Garou raced past Glasses with incredible speed, forcing him to immediately give chase. As Glasses closed in on him, he could only think, "How is he moving that fast!? One of his legs has been pierced through, and he's poisoned!" He continued running as he closed the distance between them. "What's more, he was already in a bad state, to begin with... but now... we're fighting at his pace! He's not human!"

"STINGER! Come at me if you have the balls!" challenged Garou as he ran towards Stinger, knowing he would take the bait. Stinger immediately fell out of formation as he prepared his weapon. "You asked for it punk! Death Gatling, don't interfere!" As Garou rushed forward, knowing Stinger would be used against them, Death Gatling began to charge his weapon before he, Smile Man, and Stinger were thrown off balance as Garou destroyed the ground beneath them as he pulled on a root beneath them. Before they could even react, he knocked out Smile Man with a powerful kick in the face, breaking their formation further as he slid through.

He chuckled as he began to sense his victory. "Stinger is really is as dumb as they say!"

"You dar-!"

Death Gatling raised his gun as he prepared to unleash it on Garou. "OUT OF THE WAY STINGER! I'll do it! IN his state, he won't be ablet o escape my Gatlin gun's fire!" Garou opened his eyes wide in fear as he jumped out of the ay as he began rushing forward as Death Gatling began destroying everything inches behind him as he began firing rapid rounds at him. As bullets continued flying, trees began breaking and shattering behind Garou as he struggled to outrace Death Gatling's aim. Glasses began to sweat and was unable to move as he realized Garou was running towards him.

"He's heading for you! Glasses! Don't let Garou near you!" screamed Death Gatling. As Glasses began running, Garou kept pace with him as he grinned at him. "I can't shake him off!" he panicked. Death Gatling stopped firing his Gatling as he saw that Garou was using his fellow hero as a shield.

"Hey now what's the matter!" mocked Garou, "just a minute ago you wouldn't leave my side! Don't stop marking me now or I'll get lonely!" he yelled with glee as he began unleashing Water Stream Smash Rock into Glasses. Glasses was easily overwhelmed as he was forced between Garou and Death Gatling's weapon, denying him the ability to finish Garou off. "With a broken battle formation...Am I just a hindrance!?" he wondered. Glasses suddenly remembered how Saitama saved him and told him that he should not believe in having any limits, and how, ever since then, he had been pushing himself to get stronger... With his spirit refreshed, he grabbed on to Garou's shirt as he prepared to throw a punch. "IF I AM GOING TO BE REDUCED TO NOTHING BUT A HUMAN SHIELD, THEN IT'S BETTER TO FIGHT YOU HEAD-ON!-"

Shockwaves rippled across his face as Garou's fist collided with it, shattering his glasses from the impact. Garou grabbed his hair as he continued punching him. "Now that's more like it Hang in there! You had confidence in your stamina didn't you!?"

Stinger shook as he saw how badly his fellow hero was getting the shit beat out of him as he was being rag-dolled. "Garou! You're going too far!"

Garou shot him a look before continuing to beat on Glasses. "Oh don't you be in such a hurry! After I'm done with four-eyes over here you're next! So get comfortable!" Stinger lunched forward as he again fell for the provocation. "I won't abandon Glasses!" he declared, "we'll be the ones who win in the end!"

A huge smile spread across Garou's face as he saw that Stinger fell for his tricks once again. As he let the stinger go past him, he used his hand to push it away, propelling Stinger towards him as he began to unleash his technique into him, denying him the chance to fall down from the air. Stinger spit out blood as Garou's fists rocked his skull and continued to be pushed back into the air as Garou continued pummeling him. Seeing that Garou was open, and almost broken Glasses struggled to walk forward as he tried to attack him from behind. As an elbow was forced into his stomach, he was sent flying, crashing into a tree as his glasses flew out with all the blood he released. Having elbowed Glasses and stopped attacking Stinger, Garou finally stood up as he faced his final opponent.

'To think you'd throw your own shield away... I told you didn't I...that I no longer see you as a human!" shouted Death Gatling as he aimed at Garou.

Garou winced as he remembered he had told the kid to remain in the hut. He then looked at the final hero as he raised his palm. "Wait! There's a kid in the shack..."

Death Gatling almost growled in response. "Of all the things you could say...Stinger is one thing, but to believe I would fall for your tricks..."

A vein in Garou's neck throbbed as he saw there was no getting through the thick skull of the hero. As he shook in indecisiveness, he suddenly yelled in a declaration of war. "TAKE A HARD LOOK! YOU'RE ABOUT TO WITNESS THE MOMENT A MONSTER WINS!"

Death Gatling's face suddenly morphed into the face of a grim ripper as he stared at the monster in front of him. "The only one winning today...is Justice...Die!" As his Gatling whirled to life, hundreds of bullets began to fly at Garou, who stood his ground in front of the hut. As he moved his hands at rapid speeds, he began blocking the bullets using his Flowing Water Smash Rock. The area remained intact behind him, but as he redirected his bullets, the trees to every direction began to shatter and become dust as bullets pulverized everything in their path. As the bullets in Death Gatling's weapon ran out and smoke trailed out of his barrel, fear began to settle within the hero as he saw that Garou remained standing. "Why couldn't I hit him?" he panicked.

As Garou lowered his trembling and bleeding hands, he stared at Death Gatling with his bloodshot eye, scoffing at how hard the hero had tried but still failed. "Tch, you fire off bullets like a dumbass." He laughed as he saw that Death Gatling was still pointing his gun at him. "Drop your fighting stance already, it's pointless! That attack is called 'Death Shower,' you dramatically increase your rotation speed and you blast your enemy with every last bullet you got right?"

Garou smiled in victory as he looked at Death Gatling. "You have my thanks!" he jeered, "You've helped prove that firearms can't defeat me! HAHAHA, too bad for you fodder!" He raised his arms as he began taunting the hero for his failure. "Your teamwork was impressive, but alone you can't do shit! You should've really swallowed your pride and called an S-Class hero! Even one of them might have changed the tide of battle..."

The hero Death Gatling exploded with anger as he suddenly pulled out a giant knife. "What are you trying to say... That us heroes don't matter!? Look me in the eye! I'm the hero who cornered the monster Garou! I am... Death Gatli-" he was cut short as Garou punched him in the face, rocketing his entire skull back as he lifted him off the floor with a single punch. "I don't give a shit about your shitty hero circumstances! You denounce hero rankings, but you're the one who worried about them more than anyone else!"

As Death Gatling landed a couple of yards away, Garou crushed and destroyed his Gatling. "What a joke!" he scoffed. As he looked towards the building, he saw as the kid came out, taking the whole scene in as he saw all the defeated heroes around Garou. "So you're still alive eh?" he asked him. Seeing how bloody the old man was and how he was the only one standing, the kid began screaming and running away as he realized Garou must have been the one who defeated all of them. Garou reached for him with an outstretched arm before pulling it back and grabbing on the arrows piercing his back. As he pulled them out, he began to stagger towards the tree line outside of the clearing he was in. "I gotta treat these wounds..." he gasped. "W-water..." as he was close to reaching the trees, he felt the earth shake as a sudden explosion went off behind him. As he looked back in shock, he tried to make out the figure within the smoke.

"I detected a signal requesting backup..." Garou looked at Glasses as he realized that a device in his right hand was beeping. "...and the source was his transmitter it seems," finished Genos as he appeared out of the smoke, his glowing palm aimed at Garou. "From what I can surmise, you're that 'Hero Hunter' I've heard about. I will eliminate you!"

* * *

Fubuki squeezed her phone as she looked at the bold, red letters that continuously flashed as they alerted her of the monster threat that had appeared in Z city. She felt completely indecisive about what to do about the news. With the continuous arrival of monsters, she had to continue adding on the Blizzard Group kill count of she wanted to maintain her position...but her group was out of commission, Tatsumaki had seen to that! She clenched her fist as she looked at her feet, she was in city D, right next to her new objective, but if she flew fast enough... she could reunite with Saitama. She felt that something eventful would soon happen, and she had to be next to Saitama. She had to be stronger...in case a threat to great would even threaten his life.

She scoffed as she remembered what King had said earlier that day. She knew deep inside her heart of hearts that she did not think of Saitama as a tool. Despite knowing him for such a little time, and despite knowing his strength, she still feared what happened if a threat even he could handle could arise... He made her feel stronger. If it meant facing whatever threat arose, she would do it as his side, she decided. She felt something shake the earth beneath her as the buildings around her began to collapse and glass began to fall from broken windows. As the temblors subsided, she knew that something was happening, and it posed a threat to heroes as a whole. "Saitama!" she whispered loudly to herself. She began walking at a quick speed towards city Z before her psychic abilities manifested as she began to fly faster through the city.

* * *

***5 minutes earlier***

"Heh-hehe..." coughed Garou as he chuckled, staring at the cyborg who stood below him. He grasped the cyborg hand that was tightened around his neck as it held him against a tree, rendering him unable to escape. Genos narrowed his eyes as he saw that the Hero Hunter was laughing despite being on the receiving end of his detached arm. "It's just one thing after the other... seems like ya heroes are giving me a lot of attention now!" celebrated Garou as he continued to struggle against his restraints. "It feels so good to be popular!"

Genos shifted his feet as he began walking closer to the threat was suspended above him on a tree. He stared dismissively at the 'monster' as he began detecting life forms in the area. But first things first...he had to finish off this nuisance. "The world is currently in a state of chaos, a nefarious monster association has risen... we...I do not have time to waste on a common thug like you." Genos raised his hand as he looked at Garou with almost boredom. "Now that you get it, get out of my sight!" he spit out.

Garou clenched his teeth, making them creek as he chewed on nothing, his eyes coming to life with pure fury. He had not come this far and beaten so many heroes for nothing! He began to claw at the arm clamped on his neck and then firmly gripped it as all his muscles tightened. "SO...I'M A COMMON THUG!?" he roared. He bent his legs as he angled his feet in tiptoes against the tree he was suspended on. "You gotta lend me a hand...Demon Cyborg!" his eyes glared at Genos with murderous rage as he saw the cyborg raise began to ignite his arm. "If I hunt you down, people will have more respect for me don't you think!?"

Genos barely budged as his hand ignited the entire area in his sight, his incineration threating to consume the Hero Hunter that lay in front of him. At the same instant, Garou slammed his feet into the tree, blowing the other side off as he began to tilt forward, the tree he was held against now shattered.

Genos jumped out of the way, re-attaching his arm as he dodged the fallen tree. Something wasn't right, it had fallen before his blast struck it! He tensed up as he saw Garou emerge from the smoke, snapping the wires that restrained him as he wildly dug his fingers into his hair. As Garou looked up at Genos, his eyes completely bloodshot and his hair red from his blood, he let out a feral grin. "That monster association ain't no big deal..." he growled, "and you heroes are no match for me either!"

Garou stood up straight, the sun raging behind his back as he screamed into the air. "You best let the world know...the strongest monster is right here!"

"There are no monsters here," Genos responded dismissively as he heard the earth behind him shake and give way as something emerged. As he looked behind him, several monsters pounced on him as they screamed, "protect the hero hunter!". Garou looked in complete surprise as the Demon Cyborg was completely ingulfed by monsters as he heard a voice behind him.

"...Mister Garou, we have come here to welcome you into our ranks!" a sunflower monster snarled as he let out a devilish smile at Garou. "You're in quite a pinch, why don't you let us save you? My superior has acknowledged your great achievements and has invited you to become one of our executives!" Garou continued looking as the monsters continued to snake on top of the demon cyborg, blood dripping from his face as he didn't even look or acknowledge the monster behind him.

"You assholes again... I don't need your help, piss off."

The sunflower monster began to flex his spiked tendrils around Garou as he frowned. "I'm afraid no is not acceptable, I have my orders you see..." he trailed off as both he and Garou noticed movement in front of them. As monster parts began to fly in the air, Garou craned his neck to the side as Genos flew past, slicing the monsters head behind him in half.

As blood dripped from his blade, Genos turned to face Garou, his demeanor showing he was taking him seriously now. "I never would have guessed that the Hero Hunter was connected to the Monster Association..." he flexed his arm as he pointed his blade at Garou. "I may have lost yesterday... but I've learned full well that there are several powerful monsters out there." His blade retracted and hid inside his arm as he aimed his eyes at Garou. "But I will not let my guard down again... because I too am stronger than I was yesterday."

Genos stared glared at the monsters who remained in the hole that had been created where he had been previously standing. Seeing that they stood no chance, they awaited the appropriate moment as Genos focused on Garou. "No matter what threat arises, I am prepared to intercept it!" He held his fist to his chest as he walked closer to Garou. "Master Saitama told me to train in both body and spirit as I aimed to become the top hero...I am finally beginning to understand what he meant."

"Master Saitama?" questioned Garou as he tilted his head in confusion.

"The mightiest hero, no monster could ever hope to defeat him," answered Genos as he quickly raised his arm to incinerate Garou. Before either one could react, Garou was struck in the face with such force that he was launched off where he stood, caving in a tree as he crashed against it. Genos looked at Bang, who landed next to him as he squared off with Garou.

"My apologies Genos," Bang said as a monster rose behind him to attack him from his blind spot, "but could you leave this one to us?" As the monster swung his claw at Bang, Bomb suddenly appeared as his hands swung in a clockwise motion. "Iron Whirlwind Murderous Fist!" shouted Bomb as the monster in front of him exploded outwardly as his whole body was sliced into layers of circles. He looked back at his brother as more monsters appeared out of the whole that Genos had been previously been attacked in. "I'll handle the monsters coming out of the hole Bang, you must see to Garou!"

Bang nodded his head in agreement before he began to walk to Garou with his hands behind his back. "Now then..." he directed at Garou, "it's been some time...Garou."

As blood dripped out of his mouth and he struggled to get off his knees, Garou's eyes opened wide in shock. He was struggling to push himself off the floor with hands since he was still recovering from the blow he received, but he recognized that voice... "Looks like the most troublesome old-fart has finally come out to play!" he snapped as he struggled to get up.

Bang looked at his former student as he took in all his injuries. "What a terrible state you are in, let me put you out of your misery...take your stance!"

As Garou finally managed to get to his feet, he slowly raised his hands as he prepared his stance. Blood flew from his fingers as he suddenly tensed them into claws, creating a shockwave of air as he pushed his palms outward, and raising them behind the left side of his head before aiming at Bang with his outstretched hand as the other remained bent near his face.

In retort, Bang smoothly stretched his arms behind him before rasing them in front of his face in one smooth motion. As he bent his knees and stared at Garou, both master and student stared at each other as leaves fell around them. As a breeze blew through their hair, Garou clenched his teeth before suddenly screaming like a wild animal as he lunged at his former master.

"Flowing Water Rock Smash Fist..." Bang said calmly as Garou was overwhelmed by a fury of consecutive blows that seemed to create shockwaves on his human flesh. As Garou's head was rocked from side to side, blood flying everywhere as Bang continued to strike him, he screamed in agony and anger as he raised his arms to respond. The air around them was blown back as their fists clashed against each other, a perfect symphony of defense and offensive as both master and student faced each other. As their hands moved in a fluid motion toward each other, Bang continued parrying and pushing Garou's hands out of the way as his flawless skill continued to allow him to deliver tremendous punishment on Garou.

From a distance, Genos observed as the battle unfolded. As he analyzed the fight between Garou and Bang, he came to a conclusion. "Masterful movements melding offensive and defensive into one... such a highly perfected technique, but the difference in skill is undeniable." As he continued to watch, Bang completely destroyed Garou's defense as he unleashed a storm of blows unto his body. "The fight is already over."

As Garou slid backward while on his feet, Bang rushed froward to continue breaking him. As he moved forward with both his hands, Garou, who was leaning back from all the blows he had received to the face, snapped forward as he caught his master's hands. Garou clenched all of his muscles as he looked at his master with pure hatred, his bloodshot eyes betraying his injuries. "HNFF!" he grunted as he raised a flying knee to strike Bang. Bang, who saw the move coming, fluidly moved his own knee and struck Garou in the chin with it as pulled down on his hands to maximize the damage. He instantly pivoted as he wrapped his hand around Garou's neck, before flipping him in mid-air before kicking him through several trees.

As Garou landed, he barely had time to wipe the blood that had gotten in his eyes with one hand before Bang landed on him, creating a crater with a single blow. As Garou's blood continued to fly in the air, Ban continued to pummel him without mercy. "Wh-what the hell...never saw ol' fart...go crazy like this..." he spit out in his mind as he continued to be on the receiving end of Bang's blows. Garou began to panic as he saw Bang's almost emotionless face behind the punches that continue to crush him against the floor. "D...damn! I'm blacking out! I'm really...gonna die..." His left hand dug into the dirt in pain as he suddenly threw it up into Bang's face. Bang smoothly blocked the dirt with a hand before bringing it down on the completely shattered surface where Garou had previously been in.

Garou jumped from tree to tree with Watchdog Man's style as Bang observed him with disgust. "Where did you learn such ludicrous posture?" he demanded. "You seem just like a wild beast..."

As Garou continued running on all fours as he tried to escape, his eyes set on stinger as he ran towards him with the intent to make him his hostage. Before he could get within arm's reach, Bomb suddenly appeared in front of him before kicking him directly in the face. "I don't think so!" As Garou landed on a monster, it instantly blew up as Bomb destroyed it with his technique.

"Bang, "we're done with the infestation from the hole!" announced Bomb as Bang landed right next to him. As both masters stared at Garou, Genos finished off the last monsters that remained. "All that's left is Garou," announced Bomb. As Genos continued watching the fight, he continued looking at the hole behind them. Something wasn't right. "I keep picking up Biological signals of monster-typed organisms, but... for some reason, I can't seem to ascertain its location..." He looked into the black depths of the whole as he tried to find an explanation for what he sensed. "Does this tunnel lead to the monster association?"

Meanwhile, Garou struggled to get on his feet as he continued to slip on the monster blood and guts that were spilled all around him. He coughed blood as just breathing was beginning to hurt. "The creeps from the Monster Association...are all done for!" he thought as he desperately looked for a way to escape. "I might be...fucked!" As Garou analyzed the situation, he failed to notice the being that flew high up in the sky, just like the heroes did. Phoenix Man looked down as he saw the cornered Monster Hunter, surrounded by two S-Class heroes and Bomb.

"We dispatched several powerful monsters to catch Garou alive, but who would've thought Demon Cyborg would be so strong!" He continued circling above the fight as he thought about what to do. Returning empty-handed would be a terrible mistake, and Lord Orochi would definitely punish him for it. "My only chance is to get Garou out of this situation somehow..."

Down below, Bang warily studied his former student as he slowly approached him with his stance still up, his older brother Bang following close behind. "Say, brother, if you had taken that much damage, would you still be standing?" he asked his brother.

"If I was 60 years younger there's no question I could handle something like that, probably..." Bomb said, trailing off as he saw that life was still present in Garou's eyes as he glared at the martial arts masters. "Anyway Bang, he's almost done for, let's end this before the other heroes show up!" Both brothers jumped forward at the same stride as Garou barely had time to raise his defense before being struck by not one, but two masters.

"G-GUH!...I've lost movement in my arms too!" he despaired as both Bang and Bomb continued to break him with blow after blow. He flew back but managed to slow down his fall as he dug his feet into the ground, Bang and Bomb closing the distance in an instant as they continue to beat him to a pulp. "He came back to beat his ex-best pupil when he was almost beaten already... what a shitty old man!" He continued to be pushed back as both Bang's and Bomb's faces loomed over him. "What's more... this ol' buddy he's got with him is beating me like a dog...ain't that the master of the Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist, Bomb!? The two greatest martial artists of the world teaming up to bully a guy like this... they don't even care about their reputation any more!?"

"I could put an act beg for my life, but Demon Cyborg over there won't even bat an eye when he kills me! I'm really at my wit's end here... the only way to pull through this situation is to kill all three of them..." His face was suddenly smashed ad Bang delivered a powerful high kick to his face, lifting his entire body up as both martial arts masters refused to let him recover by continuing to strike them. "...but it's impossible!" thought Garou. His mind drifted into unconsciousness as he remembered his days as a child. It was the days in which he first began to understand the unfairness of the world... the days in which he realized that Heroes were nothing but bullies as they overpowered a misunderstood monster, caring not if the monster was actually right.

"What the hell?" he thought as he stared at his younger self being beaten up by other kids. "Is my life flashing before my eyes? These are some really old, and really crappy memories." He stood in the background as his memories unfolded in front of him. Ever since he had decided to stand up to a bully by saying that it was unfair for heroes to team up on monsters, he himself was seen as a monster. Their monster vs. hero game had continued, except that Garou was chosen as the monster every time, and despite protesting, his fate was to always be beaten by the other kids, the heroes. No matter what he did, despite not wanting to hurt the others...he continued to be beaten by everyone else. He wanted to be left alone, but even as a little kid, a monster would never find peace... Despite telling the teachers what the other bullies did, he was ignored. The other kids were to "nice," they were the heroes of the story, and Garou was nothing special, he was easily discarded. Garou continued watching as tried to understand his memories, his face empty of emotion as he tried to understand his reason for becoming a monster...

"What I felt with those monster games was that the system was completely absurd," he thought, "It was a system where the popular guy, loved by everyone, beat up the weaker guy, who was hated by everyone! Hero? Isn't that the description of a bully? Our make-believe game was an exact imitation of society. When you try to become a hero, even though you can choose your own roles... you depend on other peoples' approval to actually become one. My turn would never come... and needless to say, there was no story where the monster would win... I was destined to be humiliated from the very beginning!" As Garou snapped back to the present, his eye was shut tight as blood overflowed over it, dripping down his face as his panting face continued to glare ahead of him. "What is 'evil'!? What is 'justice'!? All those pretty words mean that I should roll over and die because the majority wishes so, but they can all go to hell!" he screamed within his mind. "Maybe I can't understand the reasons, but I'm still pissed off!"

Garou and Bomb were replaced by smiling shadows in front of him as Garou continued to be beaten back, clenching his teeth as he fortified his resolve. "All I want is to make them understand this... to make 'em eat one good punch from the losing side! To go, BEYOND THIS POINT OF VIEW OF GOOD AND EVIL!"

Garou's face we seemingly pushed in as a fist connected with his face, sending him sliding back as he tried to regain his footing. As Bang and Bomb moved in, Genos continued to watch. "This is it!" he exclaimed as both martial artists through a final punch to finish Garou. At that moment...a wave of emotions and his resolve snapped something within his mind as Garou sprung back up, roaring with the will to survive. "AS IF! I WON'T KICK THE BUCKET HERE!" he howled as he shattered the floor with him with a mighty blow from both of his hands. Bang and Bomb jumped back as Genos struggled to remain his footing, and as they looked in front of them, Garou uprooted a tree as he prepared to attack them. Bang and Bomb stared at Garou in shock as they witnessed how his bloody and cut body smoked as he faced them with an almost feral look of fury.

"RRRAAAGHHHH!"

A tree began to move at an incredible speed as Garou began to swing it around wildly, forcing the heroes to withdraw to avoid the blows. "How!? His body was completely broken! What is this freakish power!?" shouted Bang as he continued to dodge. Genos suddenly looked up as he suddenly saw Phoenix Man as he plummetted down toward them with incredible speed. As Genos prepared to incinerate him, Phoenix Man acted faster as he spread his wings, sending a massive gust of air that everyone flying back. As Garou was flung into the air, he felt claws dig into his shoulders as the monster caught him, quickly gaining altitude as he began to escape.

"A monster!?"

"So there was still one left!"

Genos pressed his palms together before extending his arms together as they transformed into a blaster. He began to charge up his incineration as he aimed directly at Garou and Phoenix Man.

"Genos!" panicked Bang as he saw what his fellow S-Class hero was about to do.

"You saw him as well as I did just now Bang! He's a full-blown monster! There's no denying it now! I'm shooting them both down!" declared Genos as Bang looked up in almost fear.

"Can you hear me!?" shouted Phoenix Man into the air as he continued to fly away, "I'm taking Garou with me! You're free to destroy the grunts on the surface! I leave it all to you!"

Genos, Bang, and Bomb tensed up as the earth beneath them began to shake as tremors flowed beneath them. Genos wasted no time as he fired off his incineration at Phoenix Man, who responded by screaming, "ELDER CENTEPIDE!"

To their horror, the heroes watched as a giant centipede erupted from the ground, snaking its way up into the air as it intercepted Geno's incineration blast. As a huge explosion shook the trees beneath Elder Centepide, pushing Phoenix Man away as the heroes below him struggled to maintain their footing, he continued to pull out his entire body through the ground.

"What in the blazes is that!?"

The smoke above them gave way as a Giant figure descended it through it. As Elder Centepide smiled at them, the ground beneath them continued being pushed out as he pulled out his entire body through it. Bang, Bomb, and Genos were sent flying up like ragdolls as they tried to understand what was going on.

"Wha-what the? Is this thing truly a living creature!?" cried Bomb in shock. Bomb barely had time to perceive his brother's words before looking down as the heroes defeated by Garou began to slide into the crevices created by Elder Centipede. "This isn't good, we must save them!"

As Glasses began to fall into a bottomless crevice, Bang jumped past him, opening his legs as wide as he could as he pushed the walls on either side of him to stop his fall. As glasses fell through, he continued to press his legs against the opposite walls as he caught him and sent him flying up to Genos. Bang jumped out as the crevice where had been immediately got crushed as the walls he was pushing against crashed into each other. As he flew through the air, he saw Smile Man and Chainin'n Toad beginning to slide on the plateau they lay unconscious on. As he plummeted down, crushing pushing against the floor beneath him as the heroes were sent flying, he jumped up to catch them. Meanwhile, a rock that was falling on Stinger and Death Gatling was sliced into circles as Bomb jumped through with both of the heroes in tow. As the heroes regrouped with the injured on their backs, they looked up at the giant beast above them.

Geno gawked at Elder Centepide with shock as he tried to comprehend what he was looking at. "That Biological sign I was picking up before...it was this thing! And it wasn't that I couldn't pinpoint its location, it was just that huge! And to think he could tank a direct hit from my canon without a scratch..." he thought.

* * *

Garou continued to struggle as he tried to shake the bird thing that gripped him. "What the hell are you assholes playing at!? Who asked you to barge in!?"

"Just pipe down and leave the rest to Elder Centipede," responded Phoenix Man as he continued flying away. "He is a calamity incarnate, devouring everything in his path." He looked down at Garou as he grunted in disappointment. "As usual, you fail to follow through Hero Hunter. Once you got them down fro the count, you have to continue choking the life out of them! All those heroes down there are still alive! But oh well, Elder Centepide will take care of everything for you," Phoenix Man stated coldly as Garou tensed up at hearing his words.

"Turn down motherfucker! They're my prey! I'll make you regret this!" Garou snarled as he tried to break loose from the monster's grip.

Phoenix Man simply laughed as he began taunting Garou. "Hey, you're the one who left them alive! And what's more, it's extremely convenient for us since we can kill two S-Class heroes in one fell swoop, plus the bothersome old man with them. You experienced it firsthand didn't you?" he asked as Garou stopped struggling as he tried to listen.

"In any battle...compatibility has a lot to do with who wins or loses a battle. According to our military advisor, Gyoro Gyoro, there are only four monsters who can face and defeat Elder Centipede... Tatsumaki... Metal Knight... King... and Blast. Elder Centepide joined the Monster Association just so he could exact revenge on Blast, the hero who left him near death almost 2 years ago. Sadly, those down below have no chance to put him out of commission. With their strength, the only thing they can await is complete slaughter...

* * *

"He's Coming!" shouted Genos as he prepared to shoot his incineration canon. Behind him, Bang and Bomb took a stance as they saw the giant centipede slide towards them at incredible speeds. As Elder Centepide destroyed everything in his path, the blasters Genos aimed at him ignited as he released a precise incineration beam into his eyes. Genos quickly moved out of the way as Bang and Bomb began to move their arms and hands in a fluid motion. They both clenched their opposite hands closest to each other as they stomped on the ground with one of their feet. As the ground shattered beneath them Elder Centepide was mear feet from them. "WHIRLWIND..." they moved their hands in perfect symphony as they crossed each other's arms, "FLOWING WATER... ROARING AURA VOID RIPPING FIST!"

Elder Centeped slid to a stop, his body arching up behind him at the sudden stop, as his body began to crack from the blow Bang and Bomb had delivered. Large shock waves and gusts of air were sent everywhere as both martial arts masters stopped the giant monster in its tracks. The beast was suddenly sent flying back as Genos looked at it with shock.

"What a mighty technique!" he marveled, "it just pulverized that hard carapace!" He frowned as he witnessed the spectacle in front of him. "This is the culmination of martial art skill!"

"ATATATATATAHATAHATAHATAHATAH!" screamed both martial art masters as they continued to deliver strike after strike unto Elder Centepide as he continued to fly back. As his carapace completely shattered, Elder Centepide slid back in from the sky as he crashed on the floor in front of them. Bang and Bomb were sent flying back as Genos attempted to catch them, but failed before they crashed into the trees behind them.

Elder Centepide burst and exploded into pieces as they rained down on Bang, Bomb, and Genos below them. As they looked up in relief, Bang noticed something incredible as he saw that the monster was shedding his skin.

"Hmm!?"

The two martial artists and cyborg looked up in shock as they witnessed Elder Centepide complete the shedding of his skin as a new face emerged from his mouth.

"Are you kidding me?" Bang said exasperated. "He was just molting the damaged carapace! And...he seems even bigger now!"

Bomb looked at the unconscious heroes who lay behind them in frustration before facing his brother. "We can't beat this creature! And we have to do something about the unconscious heroes! Bang... what do you say!?"

Bang simply grabbed his chin as he tried to think. "Even if we put some distance...it'll rush after us. This park s surrounded by urban areas... if we leave we'll indanger everyone!"

Genos looked up in determination as he began to ignite his hands and his chest began to glow. "Bang... I will face the centipede..."

"Young man... do you mean to fight him alone? I cannot agree with that," replied Bang solemnly. Bomb walked up to Genos and grasped his shoulder with a strong hand. "If you know death is certain, then respect your limits. You still have an entire lifetime before you." Genos looked up at the beast before him as he recalled what Dr. Kuseno had previously told him. "Genos... be aware of your limits..."

Genos bent his knees as he rocketed into the sky towards Elder Centipede. AS Bang and Bomb stared in shock, Genos began firing rapidly at Elder Centepide's face as he ran up his giant body. As Elder Centepide tried to rush in, Genos increased his energy output, causing a giant explosion as he threw everything he had at the monster's face.

Bang shouted after him after seeing that the beast remained unaffected. "It's too rash Genos! Firearms will not damage this thing!"

As Elder's Centepide flew through the smoke of the explosion, his pincers snapped at the air where Genos had just been. As Genos flew above the monster, he looked down at it as he prepared to continue his attack. "This monster, and the one from the day before too... and even Garou, they're all part of the Monster Association!" Blades slid out of his arms as he held them out in an X as he prepared to launch himself at Elder Centipede. "I cannot excuse myself from standing up to them!" he shouted as a burst of energy flew out his back, propelling him forward at a speed that caught Elder Centepide off guard. Before he could react, Genos buried his blades deep into his eyes before continuing to stab them at a rapid rate. "Duel Blade Rush!" screamed Genos as he began to blind the creature.

"This is what it means to be at war with these monsters!" he thought as he continued to hack away at Elder Centepide's face. "...and I...am enlisted in this war!"

Genos suddenly halted his attack as he felt Elder Centepide clamp his teeth around his leg.

"I'M GONNA GRIND YOU TO PIECES!"

Genos tore his leg from below his calf as he jumped out of the way before Elder Centepide smashed his own face against his body in an effort to crush him. Before Genos could escape, Elder Centepide wrapped an antenna around his waist before cutting him in half with his pincers as he laughed.

"Genos!" cried Bang as he and his older brother could only watch, unable to do anything.

"If I keep going on like this...I'll end up..." Genos suddenly glowed as his chest and legs ignited as his body reconnected. "...Dismissed!" In a flash of lightning and fire, his jeans tore as three blades extended out from within his leg. Geno's eyes pulsated with a bright light as he rocketed towards Elder Centepide's face.

"Jet Drive Arrow!"

As the area behind him ignited with a burst of energy, Genos continued to roar as his fist collided against Elder Centepide's strength. As a crack suddenly appeared on the tooth, Genos pushed even harder as he flew right through.

"He got himself into his mouth!"

As Genos slid down the monster's throat, he pierced the walls around him with his blades to stop his descent into his stomach. However, before he could do anything, the walls around him closed in as he was forced to curl up into a ball as he fought to avoid getting crushed. As a liquid began to drip unto his metal flame, smoke began to appear as the liquid sizzled and hissed. "Oh, no...digestive fluids!"

Outside, Elder Centepide began to laugh as he directed his words at Genos. "You'll be melted into nothing in a matter of seconds!"

As Genos pushed against the walls that threatened to crush him, his eyes let out a bight light as lighting popped out of them. "You're... the one...who'll turn into nothing!" His chest piece extended as a repulsor in it glowed brightly before shooting a massive energy blast down Elder Centepide's throat.

"Ultra Helix Incineration Blast!"

Elder Centepide's carapace began to glow and fire begin to seep through its openings as its eyes also filled up with a bright light. As Bang and Bomb watched with wonder, a huge explosion escaped through the monster's mouth as Genos was sent flying.

"He did it!" they cheered.

As Genos landed, he could do nothing more than lie on his stomach as he craned his neck to look up at the massive centipede. His victory was cut short and his eyes soon widened in horror as he saw that Elder Centepide simply readjusted his armor as the flames within his body were put out and he was healed. As his face molted, Elder Centepide's eyes snapped down as he let out a huge grin while looking at Genos.

Genos trembled before lying still on the floor. "Once again...victory eludes me... I can't protect anyone..." He simply used one eye to look back as the monster he had struggled to barley injure, reared back before plummeting down towards him.

As a giant pincer was about to crush him, Genos was picked up as Bang rushed through. "We're running! Big bro, grab those men and run!"

* * *

"What's the matter? Is it too bad to leave their slaughter to another monster? The heroes are all dying anyway!" jeered Phoenix Man as he continued to flap his wings as he flew high above the city. In his grasp, Garou was barely stirring as he mumbled some words out.

"That ain't what this is about! I just can't stand letting things end like this! I want to defeat them...with my own power! I want to become... the symbol of fear!" he let out in a harsh whisper.

"You? The symbol of fear? HAHAHA! As you are now, you lack the power to even compete against Elder Centepide and the other Monster Association executives!"

His voice barely an audible whisper, Garou continued to sweat and bleed, his eyes cast in shadows as he looked at the city below him. "just...you...wait..."

* * *

"What is it I lack? Are there still more remaining that are on the same level as this monster?" thought Genos as Bang, who carried him, jumped out of the way as Elder Centepide's huge head swung by. "When facing opponents like that... can I accomplish anything other than look on in awe and terror?" wondered Genos. Bang and Bom continued running as fast as they could as the beast behind them continued to give chase. As they continued forward, they hesitated as they saw the edge of the forest right in front of them. Nearly six hundred feet in front of them, the tree line suddenly ended and civilization began.

"Bang, this isn't lookin' good! We've reached the end of the forest park!" Bomb shouted at his younger brother. "If this thing gets into town there will be innumerable casualties!" Bomb's eyes bulged as he looked up at all the pile of heroes that he carried on his back. "And not to mention... I can't run for long while carrying all these people! Just how old do you think I am?"

Bang, instead of answering with words, put Genos down and removed his shirt as he looked back at Elder Centipede. He cracked his neck and squared off his back as he took a stance, prepared to fight the monster alone.

"It's all or nothing... for the last time of my life I'm going to unleash all of my power!"

"ELDER CENFTEPIDE! HEY, YOU DUMB PEST! I BROUGHT BLAST, THE ONE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR!"

Bang and Genos looked around as they recognized the voice.

"Is that King!?"

"Did he just say Blast?"

"Look! The monster is looking back in the other direction!"

Elder Centepide turned his whole body as he faced King. As he shook all of his numerous giant legs, his breath let out a massive air blast that reached King despite him being so far away. "Blast..." it roared.

King continued yelling into the microphone as he started to shake. "Yeah... that's right! The hero Blast, the one who beat you so silly in the past that you turned tail and ran while pissing yourself all the while! What's the matter!? Are you so scared that you can't move? If you're gonna shit yourself you might as well go home and do it!"

As Elder Centepide began to rush him, King threw his megaphone away as he stood in place. "I'll draw him to me so that the others don't get caught in trouble. If you finish him off for good, it has to be done before he escapes into the depths of the Earth... you'll only have a small window of opportunity to deliver the blow, and you also have to do it in such a way that he isn't blown back into the city behind him..." As Elder Centepide rushed and quickly closed the distance between them, King began to sweat as he heard no response.

"Ummm... Saitama?"

Elder Centepide easily closed the distance between them and was ready to crush King.

"SAAAITAMAAA!? HE'S GONNA HIT M-"

Saitama pulled King out of the way as he reared his entire arm, shifting his legs and back as he met Elder Centepide's rush. "Serious Series Serious Punch!" As his fist struck the giant monster, Elder Centepide simply burst from the force of the impact, the shockwave moving throughout his entire body as he became vaporized and disappeared into thin air. Genos, Bang, and Bomb only looked in amazement as the monster that threatened them and the people nearby suddenly disappeared, killed with a single punch.

As King fell back, completely pale and with mouth open wide in terror, it looked like his soul had completely left his body. In front of him, Saitama stood with a satisfied smile on his face. At the end of his fist, there seemed to be a giant trench from the force of his punch. Saitama looked up as he recognized the people that were in front of him. "Hey! It's Genos!"

As he and King began walking to meet up with the others, King looked at Saitama as his friend began to talk.

"So he was here, after all, you were right King."

King smiled as Saitama recognized him. "Yeah... and it looks like we made it by a hair's breadth. It's a good thing we decided to come!"

Saitama let out a huge sigh of relief as he smiled.

"Huh? Saitama, you look awfully refreshed, what happened?"

"I don't know, my head feels clear all of a sudden. I guess I had a lot of stress built up on me from getting my ass beat at that video game."

King gave him a blank expression as he tried to understand Saitama. "...He was still bothered about that?" he thought.

They were interrupted as they saw Genos walking toward them, using a giant stick as a crutch to move. "Master Saitama! There's something I'd like to ask you!" He stopped as he got a foot away from Saitama. "What do you think I lack?" he desperately asked.

Saitama looked at him confused as he realized that Genos was asking him for some insightful advice. "Uhh, power I guess?"

"...Thank you for your guidance!" shouted Genos as he pulled a notepad and pencil out of nowhere as he began to write Saitama's advice. "Master Saitama's battles are truly showing me the way forward..." he thought.

King looked at Genos in horror as he witnessed how gullible he was. "Ahhh...nooo... I don't think you're gonna get anywhere by using Saitama as a reference Genos!" he screamed into his mind.

* * *

Phoenix Man continued flying, looking back as he wondered if Elder Centipede had disposed of the heroes already. He looked down as he saw that Garou was no longer struggling and remained still.

"Garou... so you've finally lost consciousness. Have yourself a good long rest...we will arrive before Orochi in no time."


	10. Chapter 10- A Forgotten Limiter

"Huh? It's not even like you need a plan or anything. I'll just handle things quickly like I always do," Tatsumaki stated boldly as she walked into the Hero Association's executive meeting, Super Alloy Darkshine S-Class rank 11 and Pog God rank 10 following close behind. "...or have you still not found their hideout?"

An associate approached Tatsumaki and stopped right in front of her as he tried to find a way to respond. As he told her that Child Emperor was working on it, Child Emperor simply confirmed that he was working on it but it would take him a few days. After hearing how hard they were struggling, Tatsumaki simply laughed.

"It's somewhere in the ghost town Z-city is it not?" she mocked as she waved her hands, "wouldn't it be simple if I just destroyed the whole place?"

"They have a hostage so I beg you to please be careful..." the associate responded carefully.

Tatsumaki smiled as she crossed her arms. "Those monsters are using such annoying tactics. But I guess that's the only way they stand a chance. They must be really afraid of me!" she mocked.

"I hope you don't underestimate your opponents this time...they're quite powerful..."

Tatsumaki's eyes instantly narrowed in anger as she looked at the associate who had just warned HER about being careful. "I'm sick of you constantly overrating our enemies! Did you call us for just a stupid warning?" she hissed.

The associate paused, hesitating as he debated whether he should reveal the data he had recollected as he turned away from the heroes gathered before him. As he turned to face them, his eye ignited as a projection appeared in front of him. The projection contained an image of Drive Knight an S-Class Rank 9 hero.

"The truth is... yesterday Drive Knight continued to investigate on his own. He went ahead of schedule and now... he is missing. We lost track of his transmitter last night. He has been defeated, we should assume that to be the case."

The room remained quiet as the heroes heard the news, surprised. Tatsumaki squared her feet and grabbed her hips as she glared at the associate. "...if that's true, then even more reason for you to hurry and assemble the team. Who are we waiting on?"

* * *

Zombieman stopped in the middle of the street as stared at the building in front of him. He had his usual trench coat with his sewed up clothes underneath, and as the air blew through his hair, he narrowed his eyes as he began to walk forward. "Looks like this building is what I'm looking for... I got you!"

* * *

"What!? Wait on standby?" demanded Atomic Samurai, Class-S Rank 4.

As Superalloy Darkshine explained to him what an associate had revealed about the Hero Association waiting to gather the S-Class in order to destroy the monsters and save a hostage, Atomic Samurai and his pupils remained in shock. "They took a child hostage?" he exclaimed as he gripped his Katana.

Superalloy Darkshine nodded his head before inspecting his fellow S-Class heroes. He noticed that he and his pupils were dirty and that their clothes had several bloodstains on it. "You didn't about it?" he murmured, "by the way, you reek of blood..."

"That's because we've been searching for monsters since yesterday! We've been climbing mountains, going into caves, and have been killing any monster we've found. We haven't had any luck finding their hideout..." Superalloy Darkshine cocked his head as he realized that the samurai was still not informed about the situation. "I'm not surprise you haven't found him, their base is in Z city," Darkshine said casually as he flexed his muscles.

Atomic Samurai gawked at Darkshine with his mouth agape before closing it as he shook his head. "What you already knew?" he demanded. As he received no response, Atomic Samurai lowered his head as he realized that he had not been notified about the situation, unlike his teammate. "So that's how it is... well, a simple frontal-assault is more of my thing..." he fidgeted with the toothpick in his mouth as he looked back at his pupils, "all of you, go rest up." Iaian, Class A rank 2 and Bushidrill, rank 4 nodded in agreement as Okamaitachi, rank 3 began to walk away.

As Okamaitachi, one of Atomic's pupils opened the door to exit the Hero Association building, Sweet Mask stood outside as he prepared to enter. Omamaitachi blushed as she admired the male before moving out of the way as he entered. Sweet Mask looked at the A-Class heroes before looking down in disgust. "I heard that the assault team for our operation would only have elite members within it," he paused as he studied Atomic Samurai's pupils. "I wonder why such inadequate candidates are here... fodder should deal with other fodder don't you think? Or do you plan to increase our workload?" he demanded as he glared directly at Atomic Samurai.

Atomic Samurai grit his teeth as he refused to look at the pop singer, and hero that had easily begun to piss him off. "Sweet Mask...you're going too?" he asked distastefully. "My disciples are strong, don't you worry about that! But I'll still have them tag along if a certain little idol gets himself in danger!"

Sweet Mask didn't even flinch at the comment before making a retort. "In danger? I'm surprised that my ability is still in doubt. The only reason I don't move to S-Class is too keep the weak from joining us. And plus..." he stated in a low voice as he walked up to Atomic Samurai, placing his face up to his. "I'm stronger than you."

Atomic Samurai smiled in a friendly manner as he leaned into Sweet Mask. "Hmmm, I see, I seeeeee..." he spit out as the veins in his forehead bulged, beraying his friendly smile.

* * *

"What are you so afraid of!" Child Emperor yelled as he slammed his hands on his computer displays as he spoke with Metal Knight via a hologram video. "What happened to the Metal Knight unit!? What kind of monste!-"

"Monster King Orochi..." Metal Knight interrupted as he answered Child Emperor's question. "I'm not sure what it did, but it appeared to use of its horn-like tentacles to pierce my drone. It pierced its defense and rendered it useless before it could even self-destruct. I'm not afraid of the Monster Association, but the other evils that are waiting out there for humanity to be at its weakest before it strikes and takes everything." The hologram suddenly shut off and Child Emperor was left with a black screen as he stared at his own reflection.

"Just what power are we dealing with?" he wondered.

* * *

Fubuki could see Saitama's house as she approached it. Shortly after entering Z city, the Dragon Level Threat warning that she had received had disappeared. Apparently, it had been defeated, although by who, she did not know. However... she continued walking towards Saitama's apartment as a knot in her stomach told her something wasn't right. "This is an emergency," she thought, "I need to meet with my new Blizzard group."

As she walked up the stairs of the apartment complex, Fubuki smiled. She didn't mind joining this group, and she cared not for her position in it, even if she was the weakest. She knew that Saitama could help her... and that she could get stronger, but only if she remained close to him. She stopped as something began to bother her. Would this mean that she had to leave her group behind? She shook her head as she dismissed the idea. If she chose to win him over, Saitama would not make her lose her friends. He was not the type of man to do that. As she reached his apartment door, she was surprised when an old man answered the door.

"Saita-... who the hell is this guy," she wondered.

"Yes?" answered Bang as he peeked outside of Saitama's apartment. He looked at Fubuki before opening the door as he let her in. "You must be a friend of Saitama's, come in! Saitama, you have a visitor!" he shouted as he looked back into Saitama's apartment. As he led her to Saitama's living room, Fubuki was shocked as she saw Saitama, King, Genos, and Bang in the same room. Sweat fell down the side of her head as she saw all four of them casually playing videogames or simply relaxing on the floor.

Bomb walked over to Bang as he struggled to sit down. "Everything still hurts!" he groaned as he managed to get comfortable.

King looked back at Fubuki and then turned away from her, as he hid a smile. "Saitama, Fubuki came to hang out again," he cooned.

Saitama looked up and stared at Fubuki for a while before looking back at his game. Meanwhile, Genos glared at Fubuki while he continued to repair himself. "What do you want Hellish Blizzard? I'm telling you now that Master Saitama is not taking any disciples. He is a very busy man," declared Genos as both he and Fubuki looked over at Saitama, who looked at them in confusion as he heard his name being called. Fubuki's smiled continued to waver as she saw Saitama hide his videogame behind him as he tried to look like was paying attention.

Bang, who lay on the ground with needles poking his back muscles, glanced at Fubuki as he gave her an innocent old man's smile. "Sorry about the crowd in here," he apologized, "but since you're here, could you hand me that towel over there?" Fubuki was unresponsive as sweat began to appear on her face as she continued staring at Saitama, her chest was pounding heavily by now. She had come here worrying about him... thinking he was out there fighting monsters and putting his life in danger... but he was in pajamas? So she had flown here at top speed, as she worried about nothing!?

Saitama looked up at her as Fubuki chastized him. "THIS IS AN EMERGENCY SITUATION!" she yelled at him with a scowl.

"Hm?"

She walked closer as she leaned over him as she continued to yell at him. "Everyone on the Blizzard Group is done for! They're all recovering at headquarters, but instead of taking care of them, I came here to see if you were okay! This isn't the time to be so relaxed! Do you even know what's going on!?" Fubuki's face flushed red as she threw out hints that she cared for him, but her anger at Saitama's nonchalant behavior was temporarily overcoming her feelings for him. King watched the scene unfold as he smiled before continuing to play his video games, while Genos, Bang, and Bomb remained oblivious. Saitama, who was being attacked, leaned on his elbow on the floor as he looked up at Fubuki.

"You don't need to yell..."

"DON'T LIE DOWN YOU BUM!" continued screaming Fubuki.

"...but we just got back," mumbled Saitama as he looked at Fubuki in confusion.

Genos caught Fubuki's attention as he turned to face her, stopping his repairs as he tried to defend his master. "As sensei said, we just fought a very powerful opponent. You're not the only one who's had difficulties." Fubuki stared at him and calmed down as she saw the obvious damage he had received. "Uh...well I can tell just by looking at you..." she responded almost in a nervous whisper.

Suddenly, she looked back at Bang as it took her that much time actually notice he was there. "I'm used to King coming here, and even Genos, but why is Bang here!?" she wondered as she asked Bang. Bang shot her a glance before closing his eyes in relaxation as he went back to getting his back treated by his brother. "I was fighting alongside them," he responded, "Saitama was kind enough to let me come here. I might have overdone it a little and my back hurts, so I cam here since I can't move," he grunted.

Fubuki relaxed as she understood that they must have fought together to fight whatever monster had appeared when the Dragon Level Threat appeared. "I see... it must have been a hard battle," she mumbled. She shot a look at Saitama as she saw that he was still casually laying on the floor as he pulled out the video game he tried to hide from her and started playing it again. She remembered rushing here to see if he was okay, but unlike the others, he didn't even seem to be affected by the battle!? She began fuming again as she realized how stupid she was for even worrying about him, she wanted to believe she had come here for something important...

"Saitama! It must have been an insanely strong monster, the Monster Association is a grave matter! You're acting calm, but you must be a little nervous, aren't you!" cried Fubuki as she tried to get a reaction from Saitama.

"Nah, it's no different from usual," Saitama replied unimpressed.

"Huh!? How is this no different from usual!?" screamed Fubuki as even Genos turned away from her in fear.

Saitama stared nervously at King as he tried to hide from an enraged Fubuki. "Why is she so mad?" he whispered. King looked at Saitama with an almost sick face as he began to sweat as he noticed Fubuki turned her angry face at him. "Dude, how are you not catching her hints?" he thought as he cleared his throat.

"To be honest, I don't think this is a normal situation either," he answered meekly as Fubuki refocused on Saitama. Fubuki went to sit on a table as she began to lightly slap as she asked Saitama to come over to her. "We need to have some type of strategy!" Fubuki, seeing that Saitama had a blank expression o his face from not knowing what to do turned to look at Genos. "Genos! You're an S-Class hero, have you heard any plans from the Hero Association?"

Not knowing what else to do get Fubuki to calm down, Saitama also looked at Genos. "It's okay, why don't you tell her?"

Genos stared at Fubuki before speaking up due to Saitama's request. "I've had my hands full since yesterday as I cheered for Master Saitama in the martial arts tournament, and fighting monsters. My Hero Association Transmitter was melted in battle."

"Mine fell down a chasm," added Bang.

"Mine got broken too, I think it might have been due to Saitama's punch when he killed the monster," said King as he lowered his head.

Fubuki waited for all of them to update her on the situation but what was disappointed as she learned that they did not know what was going on as well. "Then what are you planning on doing now? The battle against the Monster Association has already begun!"

Genos sighed in irritation as he went back to repair himself. "I need to finish my repairs before anything else. Dr. Kuseno will have to rest the whole day since he spent the previous night repairing me, so I'll probably have to be on standby for a whole day."

"My back needs to heal as well, no one can beat old age," grunted Bang as Bomb stuck another needle into his back.

Fubuki began despairing before looking at King, "What about you?"

"...There's something I must attend to first," he replied as he avoided eye contact.

"So right now the only ones who can work are me and Saitama..." thought Fubuki as she stared at the hero who looked back at her expectingly. She let out an internal squeal as she realized they would be able to patrol together. She scooted closer to Saitama as she tried to create a plan with him. "What should we do? I think the headquarters must have a special task force right now... if us B-Class heroes participate, it can impact our evaluations!" she said excitedly.

Saitama stared at her with disinterest before cocking an eyebrow. "Does that mean you're ready to aim higher?" he questioned as he sat up to give her his full attention.

Fubuki simply lowered her head as she realized Saitama was trying to push her to, again as she already knew, to get stronger, but she again thought of her sister... She always remembered her older sister when Saitama's ideals crashed with her own, which were inspired by her sister... Fubuki shook her head as she refused to let Tatsumaki intervene and affect her emotions. "Our enemy is a large organization of what used to be lone wolves," she mumbled softly, "they're likely to work under a powerful boss, we have to work together!" she finished as she staired at Saitama with worry.

Band stirred as he moved his whole body to face them. "I agree with Miss BLizzard here, the Monster Association might be very dangerous, and things could get worse if Garou joins them."

"Yes, and if they're at the same caliber as the monster Elder Centepide, we might all be in trouble," added Bomb with a face twisted due to his worry. "It's best if you retire if they have more monsters like that Bang."

King noted what everyone was saying before he frowned as he looked at Saitama. "It looks like the Hero Hunter you wanted to meet was also at the scene...we just missed him."

"Yeah they told me on the way back that he had haunted a bunch of heroes," Saitama responded as his face went pale. "it's unforgivable. But it's even more unforgivable that he's not hunting me... is it because I'm Caped Baldy?" he chocked as he lowered his head in sadness. Saitama suddenly stood up as he began to put on his costume, preparing to go out. As everyone stared at him in shock, he got fully clothed as he began to walk towards his front door.

"Master Saitama, do you know of Garou's whereabouts!?" Genos asked impressed.

"No, but I'll find him, and when I do, I'm gonna kick his ass."

Before Saitama could walk out, Fubuki stood up as well. She was frustrated that no one was either not doing anything, or unable to do anything, and now Saitama was going out when things were getting very dangerous. She frowned as she questioned herself why he was so reckless. She understood that his power was no joke, but still... someone had to watch over him, and who should do it other than her?

"I'll come with you!" she declared as she walked behind Saitama.

"No."

Fubuki stopped in her tracks as she made a hurt expression. "Why can't I go with you?" she asked Saitama angrily.

"You said it yourself, it's dangerous, I don't' want you getting hurt."

Fubuki glared at his sudden decision to limit her. "You are not my baby sitter 'Caped Baldy' and I've already decided to go with you. You made me believe I could get stronger, now you have to deal with me fighting stronger opponents if you want to see me grow!"

Genos scuffed as he finished using a screwdriver to reassemble some mechanical pieces in his leg. "Don't bother master Saitama, he has more important things to do than worry about you and yo-" before he could finish, Saitama interrupted him as he held up a finger as if he had a great idea.

"Fine! You can come with me!" he said with an innocent expression, which soon molded into a serious face with a confident smile. "But if we find the Hero Hunter he's mine." Fubuki was startled at his sudden change of heart but she nodded quickly as she walked out the door with him.

Genos watched in stunned silence as he saw his sensei show compassion once again to Fubuki. "It's certainly different from his usual behavior," he thought out loud as he held his chin, "he told me that he denied another pupil at the martial arts tournament... I'll collect more data about this before I make a conclusion..."

Bang had an eye open as he stared at leaving pair of heroes. "Seems Miss Blizzard has taken a liking to Saitama, let's see how our friend reciprocates her feelings," he chuckled. He then let out a yelp as Bomb stuck a dozen needles in his back in an instant.

"Best let them be," scolded Bomb as he plucked a needle from Bang's back. "We're much too old to be bothering the youngsters. They're in their prime years!"

As they began coughing and laughing softly, King watched as a shaky smile appeared on his face. "They're pretty obvious huh?" he thought as he continued playing his video game.

* * *

"Saitama, where are we going?" Fubuki asked for the hundredth time as she walked beside Saitama, who was looking around with a thoughtful expression. Saitama remained quiet for a while before looking at Fubuki intently as he shrugged. "I don't know I guess I'll just walk around the city until we run across something."

As soon as Saitama finished his sentence, he looked up as movement caught his attention. Fubuki noticed movement as a pink, gel-like creature was moving across the street. To her surprise, Saitama immediately walked out to the monster and crouched down to look at it. The creature stopped as it saw Saitama approach a foot from it.

"Hey it, it kind of reminds me of that video game character called Kirby or something!" exclaimed Saitama as he looked at it with vague interest. Before Fubuki could he ask what a "Kirby" was as she stared at Saitama in confusion, she reached forward with her hand as the monster attacked Saitama. The monster had somehow exponentially grown in size and had begun wrapping on Saitama's head. As she prepared to use her psychic powers to free him she heard a loud smack as Saitama slapped his face. The monster had instantly exploded from the blow and all that was left were a few splatters at Saitama's face as he looked down in confusion.

"Oops, I meant to pet it but I guess I overdid it."

Fubuki's face turned purple as she stared at Saitama in shock. "He meant to pet it!?" she thought to herself.

"Is something wrong Fubuki you look sick."

Fubuki snapped back to reality as she looked at her dress. Some of the monster guts had gotten on her after Saitama had killed it, and it was starting to slide down her dress. Using her, psychic abilities, Fubuki quickly removed all of the goo that luckily didn't stain her dress, and began to make it spin in the air and crushing it. Saitama smiled in wonder as he looks at the sparkly stuff that fell down before continuing to walk.

"I think I'm a little hungry," Saitama suddenly said as he looked at Fubuki. "Do you wanna go eat? I can pay if you want, just make sure you don't order something too expensive."

Fubuki blushed as she heard Saitama's proposition. "Are you asking me on a date... right now?" she asked him as held her face with both her hands. "I didn't expect you to be that straightforward" Fubuki said as she giggled.

Saitama looked up at her with a blank expression. "Yeah, that's what I said didn't I-..." he paused as he caught up with what she had just said. "Wait...what?" he started waving his hands around nervously as she saw how Fubuki was staring at him. It was reminding him of that night when she had kissed his forehead... "Uhh... I think I hear a monster!" he yelled as he began looking around him.

Fubuki looked around them as well as she prepared her psychic abilities. After not hearing anything for a few moments, she raised an eyebrow as she waited to see something. "Are you sure she hear something?"

Saitama was sweating as he was looking for a means of escape. "Yeah! It's really far! I think I hear people screaming! I better go, it might be too dangerous for you!" As he pushed off the floor, the concrete bellow him cracked as he began running at rapid speeds off in the distance. Fubuki, not knowing what had just happened, stared at the spot where Saitama had been before floating as she prepared to follow him. "That's weird... there isn't anyone in Z city until we reach the outskirts...but that's a few miles away, how did he hear a monster?" she asked herself as she began to fly after Saitama.

As Fubuki soon became a dot in the distance, Saitama continued running as sweat ran down his face. "This chick freaks me out!" he thought nervously. She had been acting really strange around him lately and she kept making him feel weird. The sensation reminded him of how it felt when King beat him in video games, he felt flustered and tense, just like with her...but at the same time this was different. "I really shouldn't have let her come," he thought as a blank expression washed over his face again.

He stopped as he looked behind him. "Ohh, I guess I shouldn't have left her behind with all the monsters that are apparently running loose..." as he considered going back, he looked at the restaurant. Right beside the front door, in big bold letters, "50% FOR PRO HEROES!" was being advertised on the window. Saitama stared at the restaurant blankly before his face was hidden in shadow as he smiled creepily.

Meanwhile, as Fubuki flew around, she couldn't see Saitama anywhere. "Where did he go?" she wondered. "He had said that he had heard a monster, so he's probably fighting it right now...or maybe he already beat it," she thought as she remembered how strong he was, the monster he had killed a minute ago, being a fresh reminder. As she continued to look around, she spotted the restaurant. She pursed her lips as she stared at it. "He did invite me on a date..." she believed elusively as she began walking toward it. "Maybe he's trying to pay me back for making me pay for his dinner during our contest!" She smiled as she contemplated the idea, he was such a gentleman!

As Saitama sat down and began to look in the menu, he let out a sigh of relief. He was starting to feel suffocated with Fubuki around and what he needed at moment was a chance to be by himself... maybe fighting the hero hunter would help as well.

His chest started beating rapidly as he heard the entrance for the restaurant open and a familiar "clack-clack" as a pair of heals approach him. "Ohh shit..." he thought as he picked up the menu and raised it up to his face while acting like he was reading it. "Ughh...what if she kisses me again!? What if she wants me to kiss her back!?" He ducked his head and shoved it deeper into the menu as he saw Fubuki's reflection in the restaurant mirror.

"Saitama...Saitama...Saitama!"

Saitama jumped out of his seat as he heard his name being called and shouted, "I've never been kissed before!" in a panic. His face went blank in confusion as he stared at Fubuki with a blank face. Fubuki and Saitama both cocked their heads as they stared at each other. Saitama sat down as he stared at the table, his face again devoid of emotion.

"What did you say?" asked Fubuki as she smiled at him while taking a seat herself.

"Hmmm?" responded Saitama as he opened his mouth in an "o" shaped, somehow forgetting what he had said a few seconds earlier.

Fubuki shook her head as her smile grew wider. "It took me a while to find you Saitama! You disappeared before we could finish talking." She crossed her legs as she began looking around, before turning back to Saitama. "You know, this is the first time I've been out on a date with a guy, it's gonna cost you..." she warned with a sly smile as she stared at Saitama. "You're gonna have to help me start an even stronger Blizzard group."

Saitama continued staring at her with a blank and worried expression before the waiter came to him. "Can I have an order of fries?" he asked as Fubuki touched his hand. As she did so, Saitama's face shifted from a bored and blank expression to a creepy smile as his attention shifted to Fubuki. Startled, Fubuki pulled her hair back momentarily before touching it again. Saitama's face went blank as soon as she removed her hand, but as she touched his hand again the creepy smile returned. Fubuki continued to remove and place her hand on his, getting a reaction out of him while the waiter watched in stunned silence.

As the waiter walked away he couldn't help but scratch his head as he stared at the odd couple. "Why do I always have to serve the weird customers?" he wondered.

Meanwhile, Fubuki continued to amuse herself by touching Saitama's hand and removing it as she stared at his facial expressions. She began smiling at herself before she removed her hand completely as she got to business. "Saitama, I've seen how fast you've been ranking up lately, but if we want any hope of rising in rank, we're gonna have to-"

Saitama tuned her out as he slowly began playing fidgeting in his seat. He felt his blood go cold as he realized that his wallet wasn't in his pocket. "Oh shit..." he thought as he stared at Fubuki while she continued talking. "Did she order something? Does she want me to pay for her?" He started biting his teeth as he tried to find a way to get out of the current situation. Genos would not be able to bring him his wallet since he was still in need of repairs...so that wasn't an option. "Oh, crap she's gonna think I'm trying to freeload her or something." Meanwhile, Fubuki continued talking and explaining to Saitama how they would launch their own attack on the Monster Association, and as she did, she was happy that Saitama seemed to listen to her every word she said. Unbeknownst to her, the only reason why Saitama had his eyes wide open and was staring at her was that he was still thinking of a way out of the situation.

As Fubuki finished explaining her plan of infiltrating the monster base, she finished off by asking, "what do you think about it Saitama?" as she tapped her finger in excitement, awaiting his response.

Saitama, who snapped back to reality stared at her as he wondered why she was looking at him expectedly. "Huh...oh, um... do you mind if I borrow some-" before he could finish someone screamed, "WAIT COME BACK, WE HAVE A DINE AND DASHER!". In terror, he looked around as he expected security to apprehend him. He hadn't run off with any food! He was about to ask Fubuki for money to pay it. To his surprise, he saw that someone was getting chased as they ran, and then and there he improvised as an idea popped into his head.

Fubuki jumped as Saitama slapped the table. Saitama was grinning at her while sweating profusely.

"There's a Dine N' Dasher! I have to catch him! You pay and I'll get you back!" he yelled as sprinted after whoever ran away. Fubuki smiled after her shock subsided. Saitama was willing to stop a criminal even if it meant interrupting a date... "He's a true hero!" she thought. It made her like him much more. Meanwhile, Saitama was laughing nervously as he ran. "I'm so lucky this guy decided to do this at the best moment possible!" He began to relax as he put more distance between himself and the restaurant. For some odd reason, his hand kept tingling but he didn't know why. "Hmmm I wonder what she was talking about..." he thought as he tried to ignore the tingling in his hand that spread up to his arm.

* * *

Meanwhile, Garou had stopped running long ago after leaving the restaurant behind. He patted his satisfied stomach after having eaten all the food they offered back at the restaurant, and now that his hunger was gone, he was free to think again. He wore a black, long sleeve shirt that was stuck to his body, showing his defined and trained muscles out to the world. He also still had his black martial arts shoes and black pants that made him appear like a shadow at night, the street lamps being the only thing that made him visible in the dark. His head was pounding as he remembered what had transpired after he woke up after his fight with all the heroes the earlier that day. He had woken up in an old bed in an underground tunnel system, and after listening to voices in a large cavern-looking place, he had stepped out only to be surrounded by monsters. There had been countless monsters, but what had really stuck with him was the giant horned humanoid being that loomed behind him. It had given him the "opportunity" to kill a monster in less than one day if he wanted to have an opportunity of joining their operation... He scoffed at the idea.

"I'm not gonna listen to those clowns," he thought, "what kind of logic is that? So I have to kill a monster for their approval? That would make me a hero killer... but I just want to strike fear into the hearts of others even when I'm not there... ugh my head hurts." He continued walking down the abandoned streets of city Z before hearing yelps and laughter. As he looked down, he was surprised to see the ugly kid he had been with when he fought the heroes... he was getting bullied by a group of kids...

He felt his jaw clench with bubbling anger as he looked at what was happening. "CUT IT OUT!" he yelled as he clenched his hand into fists. The kids who were bullying the ugly one, looked up in fear as they saw a dark figure looking over the pere as he looked at the street he was at. As they looked around, they saw that the entire area around them was consumed by darkness, the only being around was the figure above them who seemed to drill into their beings with just his sight. As they ran away, Garou jumped down as he approached the kid who lay on the floor crying.

"Yo, what a surprise we meet twice on the same day... I feel sorry for you," Garou said softly as he stood in front of the kid. "You're not doing yourself any favors by crying."

"U-uncle?" the kid responded as he continued to cry.

"I'm not your uncle I'm only 18!" snapped Garou as he beat his chest. He started walking again as he shoved his hands into his pockets, it's getting late, monsters are gonna start popping out."

The kid struggled to get up before running up to Garou. As he grabbed on to the back of his shirt, the kid continued to tug on it until Garou looked at him with pity.

"U-uncle I-I-I'm sorry I ran away... I saw all the heroes attack y-you," sobbed the kid as he looked up at Garou. "It- it must have been a misunderstanding! You saved me! You must be a hero-" he stopped as he saw Garou's eyes bulge with anger. Although he could not see his normal eye, the bloodshot one was clearly visible as it glared at him.

"Stop!" he hissed, "that gave me goosbumps-"

"Hey, Dine and Dasher!" yelled Saitama as he walked up to Garou. "Don't be an asshole and leave without paying for your food!" Saitama walked past Garou as he continued walking, his face hidden in the dark. "You're lucky you came at the right time! I'll let you off with a warning!" As he continued to walk away, Garou clenched his fists as he looked at his back get farther and farther away. The veins in his forehead were prominent as he began to walk behind Saitama.

"Are you kidding me!?" he thought as he started to walk faster and faster as he began to catch up to Saitama. "First the Monster Association pitties me, tells me that the old geezer and his gang survived, and give me an 'opportunity' to become one of them! And now this no-name 'lets me go'!? I know I've fucked up if even low-life heroes take pity on me! I lack determination, my feelings of relief after hearing my old sensei surviving have made me understand this..." he finally caught up to Saitama as he grabbed his cape.

"Hey!" he snarled as he raised his fist. Before he could even react, Saitama slammed his fist back into his face casually, sending him flying as he looked down with a pale face. As he began to walk away, Saitama was still visibly sweating and panicking as he looked to his feet. "I hope she doesn't kiss me as repayment for not paying for the food!" ha panicked as he thought about Fubuki.

"I better get out of here before she catches up to me!" he yelled as he ran away.

As Garou woke up a while later, he was surprised to see it was even darker outside... "Did I pass out?" he thought as he noticed the kid in front of him. As he started trying to ask him what had happened, they both stared at each other in silence as they heard a blade being dragged on the floor. Garou immediately got up as he snapped his head to attention at the two High Demon-Level monsters who walked in front of him, Royal Ripper and Bug God.

Royal Ripper appeared to be a human, he had long matted hair and crazy eyes...but that's where all the similarities to a regular person ended. His appendages were wrapped in bandages, making his face the only visible piece of skin. And where his hands should have been, two long and sharp blades glinted in the moonlight as he stared at Garou. Bug God stood next to him, and he was a hulking and more muscular one of the two. He was like a large beetle, but with muscular bug appendages, but his eyes showed clear signs of intelligence. As they both continued to draw closer to Garou, he stood up and placed the kid behind him with a protective hand.

"That simply cannot do..." hissed Royal Ripper as he brandished his two blades while looking at Garou with Killer intent. Out of the two monsters, he seemed to be the one that was the most eager in getting his hands bloody. "I've been watching you this whole time," Royal Ripper continued, "first you save this kid, and then you get beaten by this plain-looking hero..."

"It's clear that you're not monster, and you have yet to abandon your humanity," added Bug God.

Royal Ripper's face perked up, and despite having a mask of bandages, it was clear that he was smiling as he stared at the kid. Garou, noticing this, yelled at him to run away as he took a stance and faced both monsters. As Royal Ripper and Bug God glared at Garou, they began rushing forward as Garou simply waited for them. Seeing what was about to happen, the kid finally mustered the courage to use his legs and run away. Before he could make it more than 200 meters, his foot was caught by a slimy appendage as he was dragged back.

* * *

Zombieman shoved the barrel of his gun into armored Gorrila's face as he prepared to use force if his necessary. His intense stare was proof that he wasn't playing around as he cocked his gun. "I now go by the name, 'Immortal Hero, Zombieman.' Or does it ring a bell if I mention experiment #66 to you?" he said in a low, menacing voice as his gun pushed against armored gorilla's face.

Armored Gorilla looked at him innocently within the confinements of his "Tokayaki stand". He gently pushed Zombie man's gun away as he made it clear he wasn't a threat by bowing his head.

Zombie Man lowered his weapon as he waited for the gorilla to explain himself. He had been investigating the House of Evolution since he had believed that the organization was the puppet master behind the Monster Association. As an experiment himself, he knew of the obsession of the scientist with creating the ultimate lifeform... He would not let them get away with creating more monsters.

"Pardon me, but the House of evolution has already been annihilated," Armored Gorilla said simply as he motioned for his hand for Zombieman to follow him into the building behind his shop. Zombieman was left with his mouth agape, drooling with shook as he received the news. "The House of Evolution has been defeated!?" he thought as he followed the gorilla into the building. He had remembered all the experiments the Dr. Genus had in his laboratory, and they were high-level threats that would not have been easy to deal with...

Zombie man's thoughts were interrupted as he saw his former creator sitting down by a small table as he awaited his arrival. He looked around to see if there were any hidden threats in the area, but he saw they were in a simple room with scientific gibberish and pictures of a bald man with a cape. In a corner of the room, Armore Gorilla was sitting crossed legged while he held a minuscule cup of tea in his giant hand.

"What a surprise!" Dr. Genus exclaimed as Zombieman turned to look at him. "I never thought the S-Class hero was one of my former experiments!" he said with a smile as Zombieman sat down in front of him while looking at a cup with pictures of a monkey evolving into a human over time. "It's been 10 years: I thought you would've come back for revenge now... but now you're a hero. You did it, you transformed yourself...-" Dr. Genus was cut off as Zombieman suddenly jumped over the table, spilling the tea from the cup as spilled on the table. As he looked up, he saw Zombieman brandishing an axe high above his head as he prepared to bring it down on him.

Dr. Genus began to sweat with fear and resignation as he looked down. "So you've come to kill me," he whispered, "that's fine, with my facility in ruins I no longer have any purpose."

"How was The House of Evolution erased?" demanded Zombieman while still threatening to bring down the axe on the man in front of him. Armored Gorilla simply stared at the hero with shock as he nervously continued to watch. "As long as you're alive, you can just rebuild it, so why haven't you done so!?" continued Zombieman. "Answer me Dr. Genus!" he yelled as he tightened his grip around the axe.

Dr. Genus simply remained silent as he wiped the sweat off his face. A few more moments passed before he began to speak.

"...It's because _he _showed up... A man with power beyond my artificial evolution. My research and old way of thinking had lost. _He_ had removed his limiter."

Zombieman lowered his axe as he stared at his former "father" with confusion. "Limiter?" he asked.

Dr. Genus continued to explain as he looked directly into Zombieman's eyes. "...No matter how much effort someone puts in, every living organism has an intrinsic limit to how much they can grow. Too much power becomes unbearable and overwhelms its host, turning into a mindless and rampaging monster. To ensure we don't enter the realm where we lose sight of our purpose and reason, God has placed limits on our growth. The mechanism with which our growth is controlled is called a Limiter." Dr. Genus began to raise his volume as he continued talking. "But he had forced himself beyond the brink and succeeded in breaking his Limiter."

Zombieman stared at Dr. Genus with disinterest as he sat down and stared at him. "So what you're saying is that someone who has removed their limiter was enough to make you lose interest in your work? And what... such strength comes at the cost of nothing whatsoever?" he asked incredulously as he glared at Genus.

"No... a price _was_ paid for it. He lost his hair... and after annihilating the strongest being in the history of my research... his facial expression told me of the overwhelming feeling of alienation his strength had left him with..."

Zombieman cringed and tried to keep a serious face as he listened to Genus. " I'm disappointed... to think the man that created me has devolved into such a frail and meaningless existence..." he scoffed as he scratched his head. "I too know of monsters that have incredible strength, yet chooses to not become a monster, is a hero."

Dr. Genus shook his head as he tried to explain himself. "The sea folk, the aliens that invaded, robots, scientifically modified or created organisms, and even some of the monster threating humanity now... they all have limits. Humans turn into monsters because of an explosion of negative emotions, or become heroes because of their training... but that's why no one is like him. We all inherently have limits, and while others have talent, or are simply born with powers, he did not have either of those. He was a regular and everyday human, without talent or potential, who chose to go past his limits, and eventually broke his Limiter..."

Dr. Genus refilled both his and Zombieman's cups as he took a short pause, waiting for Zombieman to ask him something. The hero, however, was intent on listening and simply waited for him to continue.

"The power of those who break or that have broken their limiter defies common sense because of how strong they have become. Just thinking about it makes me laugh about how comical my ambitions were. But I'm sure you'll meet him someday... he's working as a professional hero," Dr. Genus paused as he looked at Zombieman, "anything else?"

Zombieman shook his head in confusion as he continued to stare as Genus. "What you said makes no sense! So you're telling me that this man became so powerful, but only lost his hair... let's say I believe you, what would happen if he threatens humanity one day? What if he begins to hunt down heroes? Is there any way that he can, I don't know, lose his power?" Zombieman asked as he slammed his hands on the table.

Dr. Genus looked at the table while adjusting his glasses. "It is true that he lost his hair through obtaining his power, but it is clear that he has also lost most if not all of his emotions. I believe the reason for this is that he hasn't met any being on his strength level yet... But to acquire such strength he had to focus his whole being and will... for a human to be able to accomplish that, he would have been forced to be as separated from civilization and human interaction as possible. He would have had to avoid limiting himself by creating meaningful relationships and avoiding things he might have enjoyed...this would have made him unable to break his limiter. What I don't know is if acquiring emotion through a powerful friendship or by being with a companion would revert or diminish his power..."

Zombieman's eye was twitching as he tried not to laugh from the absurdity of what he had just heard. "So... are you trying to say something like... _LOVE_ would affect this person's power?"

"I do not know, for now, it is just a theory..." Dr. Genus was interrupted as Zombieman started laughing uncontrollably. Armored Gorilla was just looking around as if he didn't know what was going on, but he decided to laugh anyways. After calming down, but still snickering, Zombieman stood up. "Dr. at least answer one of my questions seriously: why did you choose to hide behind a Takoyaki stand?"

Dr. Genus smiled as he looked up at Zombieman, "that's simple, it was all the leftovers from my cloning experiments that were successful!"

* * *

In an empty street where Saitama had previously encountered Garou, a figure lay on the floor, soaking in a large puddle of his own blood. Garou had pushed the kid behind him... he had engaged the monsters at the same time...he was on the verge of attacking them after memorizing their own attacks... the kid got caught by a sludge monster, and then... Garou's eyes snapped open as the memories bubbled back to the surface. His body quivered and he struggled to get up as the blood that lay around him stuck to his body and slipped off as he got up.

"Ohhhhh... why did I fall asleep!? It hurts... OWOWOWOOO..." Garou finally managed to stand up as he tried to remember what had happened. As he looked up, a fool mun greeted him, the light reflecting off his pool of blood as he stared down at it. "I remember losing to the monsters... I looked at the kid as he got captured and at that moment Royal Ripper sliced my back and they both began to pound me into a pulp... but why am I not dead?" he wondered.

His eyes opened wide as he looked around him. The brat was nowhere to be seen! Had they taken him? "It doesn't concern me," he concluded, "I gotta stop my bleeding first..." he looked down as his clothes as he started patting the spots where he had felt his injuries. After realizing no blood was coming out, he looked at his body in confusion. "it stopped already? The clothes have completely stuck to my wounds... and they've hardened to the point where I can't even take them off..."

Garou cracked his neck and stretched his muscles as he felt his energy return. As he looked up at the moon, he snapped his head back down, a mask of determination coming unto his face as he stared off into the distance. It was time to pay the Monster Association a little visit.


	11. Chapter 11- Shifting Gears

Genos' head shot up as he detected a familiar vital sign approaching his and his master's home. As he stood up slowly, he stared at the door, with King, Bang, and Bomb following suit as well. After a few moments of silence, footsteps could be heard as they got closer to the door. King, Bang, and Bomb tensed as everything was silent before grunting could be heard on the other side of the door. Before they could react, the door slowly creaked open as a frustrated Saitama walked through.

"It's Master Saitama!" shouted Genos next to King's ear.

Visibly deafened by the shouting next to his ear, King rubbed at it as he let out a sigh of relief. He glared at Genos as he demanded, "Why did you act like a monster was gonna bust through the door!?" but was simply ignored by the cyborg.

The group became silent as they saw how much gore covered Saitama's body. His boots were overflowed with monster blood and the rest of his superhero suit was leaking different colored substances. Saitama grimaced as what appeared like a monster's gut slowly slid off his head unto the floor. "Man I'm done," he complained as he began removing his suit off, "I ran into quite some trouble."

Genos, King, Bang, and even Bomb stared at Saitama in awe as they quickly surrounded him and began bombarding him with questions.

"EHHH!?"

"Did you run into Garou!?"

"What kind of foe did you fight that drained you so much!?"

"I'll wash your clothes immediately!" (Genos stated as he began tugging at Saitama's clothes).

Saitama quickly shook Genos off as he felt something tingle in his ear. He dug his finger into his ear as he struggled to pick something out. Once he was satisfied he looked at the group as he cocked his head in annoyance. "Huh? King and Gramps are still here?" he wondered as he stared at them, concern washing over his face. "It's so crowded."

"Sensei is that The Hero Hunter's blood?" questioned Genos as he waved his hands around.

"Nah, I just ran into a couple of Monsters."

Bang's eyes widened as he heard the mentioning of monsters. "The Monster Association?" he asked.

Saitama let out a sigh of boredom as he began to slowly remove his clothes. He walked over a coat hanger and grabbed a towel as he began scrubbing the monsters' blood off his face and body. "No, just the usual monsters. I have no idea why they seemed so flustered, but it turned out fine." As he finished cleaning himself off, he grabbed a change of clothes and walked into the far side of the living room. He suddenly slumped against a wall as he stared down at the floor in disappointment. The mood of the room quickly shifted as Saitama's mood was immediately palpable.

Genos hesitated as he observed his master. "If the monsters were not a problem...then... what is concerning sensei?"

King began sweating, his King Engine roaring as his heart began beating audibly. He stared at Saitama in shock as he tried to stop himself from shaking. "For Saitama do be so drained of energy after he left with high spirits..."

Bang and Bomb were tense as they tried to find a reason for Saitama to seem so defeated. "Just who could've done this!?" they wondered.

Saitama stared at his hands blankly, which were draped over his knees, before answering their questions. "I lost my wallet..." he said in a depressed manner. He pinched his right hand as a familiar tingling began to crawl up his arm. Saitama furrowed his eyebrows as he had a feeling that he had forgotten something, but he couldn't figure out what...

To Genos, Saitama furrowing his eyebrows foreshadowed how much pain he was in. Genos immediately lunged towards the door as Bang grabbed on to him to hold him back. "I'll go get it back!" he declared as he tried to break free.

"No Genos-Kung, not in your current state!" pleaded bang as he managed to pin Genos against the ground.

King and Bomb simply watched, confused as to why Genos and Saitama were making such a big deal out of Saitama's lost wallet before the door to Saitama's apartment suddenly opened. The stunned group turned in unison as they saw Fubuki walk in with puppy eyes as she walked over to Saitama. Genos stood in her way, preventing her from going any further as he stared daggers into her.

"Why are you here again Blizzard of Hell? What do you want now?"

Blizzard simply ignored him as she raised her arm so as to make the bag she carried visible to everyone. Inside the bag was a to-go meal that she had ordered from the restaurant for Saitama. Saitama immediately stood up and reached out for the bag. Before he could reach it, Fubuki pulled her hand back, leaving his grabbing at the air. Saitama looked at her in confusion only to see a devilish smile on Fubuki's face.

"Saitama, I think I need an exchange for the food I just bought you. And I think I've thought of the perfect way for you to repay me..." Fubuki said as she crossed her arms.

Genos glared at Fubuki as he growled. "Did you really think that Sensei would be swayed by such a petty-"

"Yeah what's up," Saitama intervened as he dug his finger into his ear, an unexpected eagerness in his tone.

Fubuki hesitated for a moment as she heard Saitama's immediate agreement to her proposal without listening to her terms first. She grinned internally as she thought of a way to force Saitama to accept her in his home as long as she brought him food or tricked him in different ways. She soon snapped out of her thoughts as she saw a bright light begin to get brighter and brighter. Genos was staring at her with extreme hostility as she saw his hand curl up, threatening her with her beams.

"I don't what it is you want," he said in a low voice, "but choose your words carefully. If Sensei seems even a little bit bothered by you, I will incinerate you on the spot."

Fubuki stared at Genos, the corner of her lips curling up in a faint smile as she heard the empty threat. In the back of the room, King was visibly sweating as he assessed the situation. Things were very tense because of the Demon Cyborg and the esper, maybe it would be a good idea if he tried to de-escalate the situation...

"Genos please stop being so aggressive, we're all friends here..." he mumbled meekly as he stared at Genos.

"She's not my friend," replied Genos matter of factly. He then proceeded to turn his back on Fubuki as he walked over to the corner of the living room where his cyborg pieces lay. As he continued his interrupted task of screwing pieces on and off one of his arms, his eyes continued to analyze Fubuki as he waited to hear one of her stupid schemes. However, Fubuki had suddenly felt an energy signal that could only come from her sister using her power. Saitama stared at her in anticipation, but she seemed to be frozen as she seemed to be looking through him. Bang, King, and Bomb were confused at how silent the room had gotten and could only stare at Fubuki as they waited for her to utter anything. Saitama began to get impatient as he stepped out of Fubuki's gaze and began to wave his hand in front of her face.

"Hey...Hey!" he shouted as Fubuki snapped back into reality, "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

Before Fubuki could explain what she had just felt, the apartment began to shake violently. As everyone looked around for the source of the event, a huge crack began to run up the wall and into the ceiling of Saitama's living room. He immediately lost it as he held his head and began to run around, unable to do anything. As the shaking subsided, Genos jumped up as he declared, "Sensei I will repair it!" He began to spray the walls with a substance as he began to slowly seal and meld the crack.

Meanwhile, Saitama was already beginning to put on his hero costume as Bang questioned him. "Saitama, just what do you think you are doing?"

"I'm going to see what caused this and give it a piece of my mind," he said seriously as he snapped his gloves on.

King stepped in nervously as he asked, "but what if it's an earthquake? It could have been a natural disaster!"

"I doubt it is..." Fubuki said deep in thought as everyone in the room turned to face her. Fubuki was pulled out of her thoughts as she raised a psychic wall to block a sudden blast that was thrown her way. Although not very powerful, it was enough to send King flying to a nearby wall and create smoke.

"What the hell!?" shouted Bang and Bomb as they tried to see through the thin smoke curtain. On the opposite side of the room, Genos stood with a glowing hand outstretched.

"You dare play with master Saitama's mental state after his treasured home was damaged!?" he demanded as his hand began to shine brighter. Fubuki's eyes began to glow, and a green aura appeared around her body, hinting that her psychic abilities were manifesting.

"Genos," Saitama almost whispered as he saw the black burn marks on his walls. Genos immediately powered down as he ran to Saitama and got on his hands and knees for an apology.

"I apologize Master Saitama Sensei! I let my anger blind me, I'll make sure to buy some paint and repair your walls as soon as I finish repairing my body!"

Saitama simply nodded with an almost dead expression as he quietly walked out of his apartment, leaving everyone behind in the mess his house had become. Fubuki let out a breath of relief as she tried to regain her composure. She glared at Genos, who was quietly continuing his repairs as he looked down in shame. Meanwhile, Bang and Bomb were poking King's unconscious body.

"I can't believe King fell asleep in all this ruckus," she thought as she walked towards the door leading to the outside. Before she could continue, Bang grabbed her arm.

"Miss Blizzard, where are you going?" he asked gently as he let go.

"Bang, I felt my sister's powers being used through our psychic connection. I have a feeling that the heroes might have already launched an attack on the monster association without our knowledge. All I know is that my sister must have asked for me to not be included for my safety. Only the S class could have been trusted with the task. But as for you..."

Bang's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think of why he wouldn't be informed of an attack that included the S class. He looked over at Genos, who also seemed clueless about such a plan. The only possibility was that their failure to eliminate Garou had to do something with it.

Bang was interrupted as Fubuki cleared her throat. "I'm sorry Silverfang but I'll be taking my leave, Saitama has already gone ahead and I don't want him to get lost while searching for the monster hideout. You should come, who knows what we will face."

"It's okay young lady, you probably want to be alone with Saitama... so you can focus. I'll wait for Genos-Kun to finish his repairs before brother and I head out. Be careful out there, it shouldn't take us long to reunite." Genos and Bomb simply looked up at the mention of their names before nodding. Fubuki hesitated before giving them a faint smile and walking out Saitama's apartment. As she scanned the area around the building, she couldn't help but notice how peaceful it seemed outside. It seemed as if no monsters could ever exist in the world they lived in... well, except for the holes in and craters in several buildings and streets. If she was correct, the lack of monsters meant that they were all probably fighting back the S-class heroes attacking them.

A faint green glow appeared around her as she began to levitate off Saitama's balcony into the air. She continued to rise higher and higher until she was flying over the tallest apartment buildings and shops in the area. She surveyed the area around her until she spotted movement. In the distance, she could make out a figure marching down the streets. Saitama was casually checking his surroundings as he tried to find what caused the violent shaking. He was flipping over trash canisters and looking into shops as he went on his way.

As Fubuki flew towards him, she couldn't help but grin at the memory of how Saitama had seemed so depressed with the near-destruction of his home. As she drew closer, the ground suddenly began to shake violently again. Unbeknownst to her, the building beside her was becoming unstable from the sudden earthquake, causing a small chunk of the apartment wall to break off.

As she got right on top of him, Fubuki had barely let out, "Sait-," when the chunk bonked her on the head, knocking her out as she came crashing down on Saitama. Saitama quickly turned around with a confused expression on his face only to see Fubuki less than a few centimeters on top of his bald head. Saitama, while trying to catch her, began to perceive everything much more slowly, and as he raised his arms, Fubuki's chest bounced and slid down his scalp into his face. Although to a normal human that would have happened in an instant, to Saitama, he had felt Fubuki's boobs slowly hug his face before her head bounced off his. Surprised by what happened, Saitama failed to catch Fubuki, leaving grasping the air as if he was lost.

"Uhhh... Fubuki what are you doing here?" he asked nervously, hiding his hands behind his back as if he had done something mischievous. Fubuki took a few seconds to wake up before she stood up and lightly patted the back of her head.

"I don't know what happened, one second I was flying towards you and the next I was just lying there on the floor." Fubuki shook her head as Saitama continued to stare at her like a frightened child. Fubuki looked behind her in confusion before staring back at Saitama in confusion. After he continued to stare at her, Fubuki felt heat rush unto her face as she questioned herself about his reasons for doing so.

"S-Saitama, we shouldn't waste time," she said almost happily as she walked next to him. "The monster association could be right beneath your home. We have to find a way to track whatever is causing this shaking."

Saitama snapped out of his trance before nodding his head with determination. As he and Fubuki proceeded to walk down the street where the shaking had started, they paused as a faint rumbling could be heard. Fubuki looked at Saitama as she began to activate her esper powers, slowly rising off the ground as she anticipated an attack. As they rounded a corner, the sound became much more audible, and it was now clear that it was a very faint roar. Something WAS below the ground. The desolate city betrayed the fact that the sound was emanating right in front of them.

As they tried to see where the sound originated from, they saw a manhole cover shaking as an unknown force seemed to be pushing it up.

"So there is something below my house," Saitama said with exasperation.

* * *

A blast of pure energy continued to smash its way through several floors in the monster association, threatening to vaporize anything that came in contact with it. Righ below its mercy, Garou struggled to hold it back with his bare hands as his back continued to receive blow after blow, his figure becoming a living rag doll until the blast managed to dissipate.

As the tremors in the base managed to subside, layers of the monster association's floors lay in a heap on top of each other. Besides the destroyed stone floors, the only evidence of the previous blast was the massive hole that had been forced through hundreds of tunnels and rooms until an almost unseeable roof. At the very top of the unbelievable path of destruction, Overgrown Rover, a dragon threat monster stood as he analyzed what lay beneath him. The massive body of a dog with six bright red eyes, a thick black hide, and muscular limbs hinted at the overpowering strength that the beast possessed. Overgrown Rover leaped down several floors and paced around the giant hole he created as he tried to see movement in the heap of stone. Fully satisfied that he had killed the being that had dared strike it, he returned to the top as he searched for something else to entertain it.

Down below, several hundred floors underneath the retreating monster, Garou tried to push the giant stones off of him as he struggled to breathe. Blood ran down his now black, monsterized eye as his fingers dug into the floor beneath him.

"D-Dammit!" he thought as continued to push, his anger fueling his strength. Just moments ago he had managed to kill that damn clown calling himself Royal Ripper and saved the ugly kid that had been taken. And out of nowhere this stupid dog had appeared, destroyed the Demon level threats that had intercepted Garou, and managed to separate him from the boy as he buried him down with blast after blast of energy. "So that's a Dragon Level Threat," he thought. None of the blows he had delivered on the monster had done any damage, it was still something he had found hard to believe.

"I have to back up there!" he growled as he finally began to stand up, the stone on top of him sliding off.

"As I thought, you have completely lived up to my expectations. So you're the unknown intruder hmmm?" a voice said in his mind, causing him to pause as he tried to find the source of it. "I am very pleased," the voice hummed as the stone on top of him began to rise.

"The ability to move objects from a distance... Is this psychokinesis?" Garou thought as he managed to regain his footing. In front of him, a fat sort of blob looking thing with appendages all around its body sat on a throne looking thing. It was Gyoro Gyoro, the Dragon Level Threat, military advisor of the monster association that had given him a warm welcome into the Monster Association.

"So you're the one who ordered those idiots to attack me huh? Just look at the mess you've made," Garou chuckled as he walked towards the monster. Before he could walk more than a few steps, a sudden pressure pushed down on him, restricting his movement completely.

"What... the... hell!? ARGHH... I can't move!"

"Your growth in such a short amount of time is astounding!" Gyoro Gyoro said gleefully as it clapped his hands together, looking down at Garou with almost adoration.

"You... you better release your hold off of me...you fuck!" Garou growled as his rage-filled eyes glared holes through the monster in front of him.

"You don't understand Garou," Gyoro Gyoro said as he raised his arms into the air, stone floating menacingly around the room. "At the moment, you can only be considered half a monster, you are yet not complete. However, despite your incomplete transformation, you withstood Overgrown Rover's burning heat bombs. Your mind and body hold limitless potential, but this will not do. But if you leave it to me, I will raise you into the strongest monster."

Garou scoffed as he attempted to push against his restraints with no success. "Raise me? What, do you want to teach me psychokinesis?"

"Not quite... what I want to teach you is neither martial arts nor superpowers, but the secret behind monsterfication. I will help accelerate the process of your transformation. Simply put, you must experience 'death' many times as a human in order to completely overload your body and spirit. It is quite a difficult task, as death could come at any moment, and even if you survive, low intelligence could make you end up as a mediocre monster."

"Sounds like you've tried this many times before..."

"Fufufu, and that I have. It's quite easy turning humans into monsters, but it requires so much more to create something that could continue growing even after monsterfication. I've done everything possible: monster cannibalism, blood and cell transfusion, breeding, different types of pain and stress, increasing levels of anger and hatred... absolutely everything I could think of. But amidst all of my failures, I finally succeeded. "Monster King' Orochi Sama."

Garou's body tensed at the mention of the monster king that had towered above every other monster. That same monster had given him an ultimatum: to kill a hero before he returned. So he was... created by this thing?

"You possess qualities even greater than his. And as a result of your battle with Royal Ripper and other monsters, you have broken down walls that may unlock your true potential. Your monsterfication is already underway, and you are already quite strong. If you follow my monsterfication program Garou, you can become the next Orochi, no, you can become even greater!"

Gyoro Gyoro leaned forward from his seat as he outstretched an arm towards Garou. "Join forces with me. Become the strongest monster and together we will destroy all the heroes and rule all the monsters. I will make your wildest dreams possible."

Veins began to pop on Garou's neck and forehead as he struggled against the invisible bonds placed upon him by the Gyoro Gyoro. His muscles twitched and strained as he fought to push the psychic force off of him, all the while he snarled at the monster.

"Mind your own damn business... and leave me the fuck alone!"

Gyoro Gyoro towered over Garou as he looked down on him with one giant eye. He seemed to laugh as his face got inches from Garou.

"You lost the right to refuse when I set my sights on you."

Gyoro Gyoro moved back as he realized something was beginning to change. The psychic energy he was releasing was meeting resistance as if something was managing to push it back. As he observed Garou, he began to see his fingers clench up and his hands beginning to move. Seeing that Garou was beginning to move, Gyoro Gyoro increased his power output to crush but nor kill Garou.

"This is my power as a psychic!" he shouted in Garou's mind. "My abilities surpass even those of the two esper sisters, Tatsumaki, and Fubuki! It is in the realm of gods..."

Gyoro Gyoro paused as Garou began to fight his restraints, his legs slowly moving him forward. As his body trembled from exertion, his mouth twisted in anger, and his eyes burned with hatred, Garou took a step forward, and then another. It was clear that with each passing moment he was having less difficulty as he began to raise his arms.

"Slowly...but s-surely... I'm starting to get used to it," he sneered as he looked up at the fat blob in front of him. "What was that you said about me losing my rights to refuse?"

"His adaptability is extraordinary!" thought Gyoro Gyoro as he continued to watch Garou succeed in overpowering his psychic ability. "It won't be easy to put him on a leash..." He smiled with his eye as he looked down at Garou, causing him to pause at the unexpected gesture. The stone that had been floating around Garou increased in number as Gyoro Gyoro raised his arms menacingly.

"Very well then... let me discipline you with pain!" shouted Gyoro Gyoro as he swung his arms in front of him. The floating stones immediately moved down on Garou at neck-breaking speed as they all smashed down on him. His body was immediately hidden under the huge pile of rubble except for his face and one of his arms. Gyoro Gyoro laughed in his mind as Garou grimaced and clenched his teeth in anger. As he stared at Gyoro Gyoro with his bloodshot monsterized eye, he began to clench his left arm as he prepared to break free. In an instant, Garou used Flowing Water Crushing Rock as he began to pulverize the stone around him in mere moments. Gyoro Gyoro did not hesitate to launch more stone at him, only for Garou to continuously spin and shift his footing as he destroyed every projectile. In the process, Garou's clothing was ripped more until his black shirt was almost in shreds, while two long pieces of the fabric seemed to extend behind him. He smiled as he jumped to the side and took a fighting stance, dodging all of Gyoro Gyoro's attacks.

"Hmph! Your attacks are nothing to write home about! This is the advisor of the monster association? I'm disappointed with how weak you are!" Garou taunted as he pointed a finger at the monster in front of him. "You release your bindings the instant objects start flying! It seems you can only do one thing at a time with your abilities! You don't pose a threat to me! I have no reason to fear anyone's psychic abilities."

Garou was interrupted as huge piles of rubble destroyed the spot he had just been standing in before he jumped out of the way. He spun in the air several times before landing on the same rubble, his legs folded beneath him but ready to pounce.

"What a mediocre monster you are... did you really think a genius like me would allow themselves to be raised by a weakling like you? Don't make me laugh!" Garou glared at Gyoro Gyoro as he began to let out a beast-like grin. "What a lucky coincidence it was for me to fall into your room. All I have to do is kill the brains behind the Monster Association and the rest will fall on its own!" Garou clenched his muscles and dug his fingers into the stone beneath him as he prepared to lunge forward. "Time to hunt..." he growled menacingly.

Gyoro Gyoro simply stared at Garou in amusement before relaxing into his throne. He casually clasped his hands together as he observed the human in front of him, only to look to the side. "The heroes are already here and it would be best if we conserved our stamina. Orochi Sama, can you handle our guest?"

"What?" asked Garou as he began to feel the earth around him shake. He looked around him to see the source of the shaking, only to see several spikes break through the ground underneath him. Before he could react and realize that those same spikes were claws, a giant hand grabbed hold of him, easily shattering the stone around him as Gyoro Gyoro laughed.

"Good luck!" is all he heard before the hand-pulled him through the floor, smashing him against several layers of stone as it threatened to squeeze the life out of him. Garou coughed up blood as he was pulled out into empty space, only to come face to face with Monster Orochi. Garou noticed that the large open space around him was built as if it were a large puzzle, and it was beginning to shift as Gyoro Gyoro used his psychic abilities. Before he could fully study his surroundings or the monster that held him, he felt the hand use more force as it squeezed him more tightly. Garou began to scream in pain as it began to become truly unbearable.

"Ah, Orochi Sama!" Gyoro Gyoro leisurely said as he sat in his rearranged throne. "He's useful, so please don't kill him."

Orochi, who was literally squeezing the life out of Garou as he looked at him as prey, opened his hand, letting Garou fall out. Garou felt wind pass by his almost broken body before his descent was suddenly stopped by the stone floor. He lay on his back, gasping for breath as he stretched two of his arms into the air to compensate for how he had almost gotten crushed. He felt nothing but iciness in every limb of his body before a wave of anger and determination fueled him. His open, outstretched hands clenched into fists as he grit his teeth and slammed his elbows into the ground. The floor instantly shattered as he was sent flying into a wild spin before he landed on his feet.

"So... you can still stand! Where does this determination come from? Oh well, it doesn't matter. You're about to face your ultimate challenge," Gyoro Gyoro said gleefully as he clapped with his weird limbs.

Garou had barely given him a side glance before looking up at the mention of a challenge. As his gaze rose, he took in the scale of The Monster King, who was looking intensely at him. Before long, one of the monster's horns began to quiver, and before Garou could take a stance, it suddenly shot out, ready to maim him. Garou flexed every inch of his body in preparation to fight for his life as he narrowly dodged the horn as he jumped out of the way. However, facing the Monster King wouldn't be so easy as the horn dug through the ground, changed direction, and flew straight for Garou once again.

* * *

"So... the sound definitely came from here right?" Saitama asked as he sat cross-legged in front of a manhole. He looked at Fubuki as she stood with her arms crossed, deep in thought.

"The sound definitely came from here, we both saw the manhole shaking. The problem is if we should be down there. For all we know there could be Demon Threat and above monsters down there," Fubuki said as she bit her lip. She was hesitant to go down there, especially with the amount of shaking that had happened before they had arrived in the spot they stood in. For something to cause an earthquake, it meant that it had a large amount of power output...

"Ok I'm going down," Saitama said simply as he tore the manhole out with a chunk of concrete as if it were made of paper.

Fubuki was stunned for a second before giggling and looking down in the hole they were about to go to. "You really are unique. Great thinking Saitama. If we manage to defeat the Monster Association before the S class do, we'll easily rise through the ranks. Maybe I can work with you..."

Saitama stared at Fubuki confused as he threw the pavement he held away. "Huh? All I did was open this... whatever you say."

Fubuki's cute expression changed into an annoyed one as she heard Saitama's simple train of thought. She waved at the hole as she tapped one of her heels into the pavement.

"Just get in the hole."

Saitama jumped down without hesitation and after a few feet, he landed in some shallow murky water. He looked around as he waited for the culprit of the shaking to show himself to no avail. He then signaled to Fubuki to come down by waving his hand up at her. Fubuki was prepared to jump down but suddenly came up with an idea.

"Saitamaaa," she sang as she looked down at the caped baldy, "I have to conserve all of my energy, so I don't want to use my psychic powers too much. Can you catch me?"

"You do realize you can climb down the ladd-" Saitama let out before Fubuki came falling down into the drainage system he was in. He instantly stretched his arms out and caught her before she could hit the ground. As soon as he did, his face lit up in a small smile. Fubuki had her hands clasped around his neck as she noticed he was smiling as he looked at her.

"W-what?" She squeaked as she faked being annoyed at him from before. A hot blush had crept up her cheeks as she realized how daring and successful her plan had been.

Saitama continued staring at her before letting out a sigh of relief. "I'm just glad I didn't drop you this time," he said as he set Fubuki down gently. Fubuki stared at him in confusion, any embarrassment a few moments ago gone as she tried to understand what he meant. As she was about to say something, she saw movement behind Saitama. Out of the darkness, a large tentacle appeared, wrapping itself around Saitama's ankle as it pulled back violently. Saitama didn't flinch as his body instantly flipped over. His expressionless face collided with the floor as his rigid body was pulled into the darkness. Before Fubuki could react, more purple tentacles came out of the darkness, unfolding as the revealed several black razers along their length. Fubuki's reflexes kicked in as she managed to stop them all a few feet away, focusing her esper powers on the threat in front of her.

In the darkness, a figure stepped as a man with shades and a gruesomely open mouth filled with fangs stepped out. From what Fubuki could see, the tentacles that were attempting to swarm her were coming from withing his lab coat. The man studied her for a second before convulsing, his lab coat falling apart as more tentacles began to appear, pushing Fubuki back as she tried to keep them at bay.

"My name is Dr. Octopoda!" the man growled as eight tentacles emerged from his mouth, forming a sort of weird mouth attachment which he could speak with. "After my infatuation with octopuses and through their repeated digestion, I have become the ultima-" The monster was suddenly cut off as a fist collided with his back. Just as if a person had punched a bag filled with water, Saitama's fist met no resistance as it splattered the monster's inside all over the walls in the corridor. Saitama was immediately covered in gore, and the goo moving towards Fubuki was stopped with her psychic powers before they could touch her.

Fubuki laughed as she saw that Saitama had begun to spit out some monster innards that had gotten into his mouth as he desperately tried to clean it. She took out a handkerchief as she handed it out to him. Saitama pause as he looked at it, and immediately grabbed it as he began to paw at his face. Fubuki waited patiently for him to finish as he washed his face, waiting for an unexpected attack.

"I'm ready, let's go," Saitama said as he looked at Fubuki and gave her a faint smile. Fubuki was about to agree before noticing that Saitama still had a huge smear of guts on his cheek. She quickly walked over to him and asked for her handkerchief before proceeding to lightly wipe his face clean. Saitama grabbed her hand to stop her, not caring much for how dirty he got, but decided to let her finish. As Fubuki finished clearing Saitama's mess, she gave him a light smile. Saitama could feel a tingling start on his face and hand where he had last touched her and it felt... strange. It was a sort of icy and tingly feeling that continued to spread, and it was a lot more intense than the last time he had felt it...

"We should definitely go now, I think we've wasted enough time here. Who knows how big the base is. I haven't felt my sister use any exessive amount of psychic powers, so the S class have probably not met any significant resistance. We should hurry before they take out the boss and his executives."

Saitama nodded as he began to walk down the sewage tunnel they were in. The walls were coated with what appeared to be veins and random moss. Despite the presence of veins, everything seemed completely normal, just an unoccupied space with a corpse of a monster at its entrance. After thirty minutes of walking next to Saitama, Fubuki let out an exasperated sigh. She immediately began to fly as she activated her esper powers, accelerating as she left Saitama behind. In order to match her, Saitama immediately kicked it up a gear and caught up to her using a small fraction of his speed. After a few minutes of running or flying at high speeds, they came to a large open section. Their path ended abruptly, letting them see the inside of the Monster Association base as if something had carved a piece out. From what they could see, there were hundreds of corridors and pathways in every direction. It was clear that the Monster base was built like a labyrinth, and without knowledge of where to go, it would take hours to study every path.

As both Fubuki and Saitama leaned over the edge, studying the chasm, they could hear very rumbling. Fubuki and Saitama stared at each other as they could hear stone grinding against stone, and faint battle sounds. Saitama immediately stood up, and just as he began walking away, a blast came out of nowhere, impacting against him and pulverizing the surrounding area. Just as the section of stone she was standing in began to shatter and fall, Fubuki jumped off and carried herself with her esper powers. As she tried to see where the blast had originated from, she saw a flash of black as something blurry escaped her peripheral vision. Seconds after hearing quick-paced THUMP THUMP THUMP noises, she finally caught sight of the big, black dog looking creature that was defying gravity as it ran on the sides on the broken fragments of corridors. Before she could think about what to do, Over Grown Rover pounced on her, his red eyes completely focused on her.

Saitama only had time to punch through a load of rubble that had been laying on him before looking up and seeing Overgrown Rover attacking Fubuki. Fubuki only had a moment to lift up a bubble of psychic energy around her and pushing herself to the side before Overgrown Rover rammed his shoulder into it. As Fubuki and her bubble were sent flying away, the monster immediately began to ignite his mouth as he prepared to blast her. Seeing what was about to happen, Saitama broke off a large section of stone flooring and threw it at Overgrown Rover, knocking his aim off Fubuki. As the blasts collided with the broken corridor fragments, the huge cavern area began to cave in, sending tons of stone and rock down on Saitama. Right as he was about to punch it all away, the floor beneath him broke, enabling the stone to crash into him and carry him down.

Fubuki lay on a pathway, looking down as she saw what had happened. A black mass flashed by as Overgrown Rover landed on the opposite side of the cavern, eyeing her as he dug his claws into the stone beneath him. Fubuki, seeing the threat in front of her, took her eyes off where Saitama had fallen in as she focused on the monster in front of her. "I don't have time to worry about Saitama," she thought. "Right now I have to worry about this _thing _or I can be in serious trouble." She started gasping for breath as she realized just how much she had to put in order to stop the monster's shoulder slam a few moments earlier. Fighting this dog wouldn't be easy, he could probably finish her in an instant.

Fubuki's eyes flared green as rubble began to rise around her. She had to use her strongest attacks before that thing could spam an energy blast of the magnitude she had seen, or before he could close the distance between them. Overgrown Rover and Fubuki glared at each other before the tension was suddenly broken by a stone fragment hitting one of the floors they were on. She flicked her hands, creating a storm of air as rubble began to pelt Overgrown Rover, who wasted no time to jump across the huge crater. As he closed the distance in the air swiftly, his mouth began to light up as red energy trails began to appear.

* * *

Garou groaned, his teeth grinding against each other as he did his best to withstand Monster King Orochi's pyrokinesis. As he stood in a squat position, doing his best to withstand the heat and pressure, Garou began to slowly stand up as his strength increased. Seeing that his fire was not doing any effect as before, Orochi increased his output with his mouth and left arm. Several dragon snake appendages were releasing torrents of fire unto Garou, not allowing him to recover as Orochi reared back. His right arm began to draw out every single dragon snake appendage, forming back into a massive arm which he pulled back, only to bring it down on Garou with crushing force. Having had his guard up, Garou simply maintained his position as he stopped the full momentum of the fist. His face was filled with bulging veins as he did his best to hold Orochi's fist back, only to have his feet slowly crush the stone beneath him in an instant. A huge crater was made as Garou's feet raised the stone around him due to the pressure being applied in one spot before he was sent flying. Orochi's fist continued to push him as it made any possibility of stopping his momentum impossible.

With a huge thundering impact, Garou was smashed into a wall behind him as Orochi pulled his arm back in satisfaction. His horns were flailing around his head as if they were unable to wait to cut through someone. Next to him, dwarfed by Orochi's size, stood Gyoro Gyoro as he seemed to laugh with an eye.

"As the complete ultimate being, Orochi is far beyond your current level Garou. You should give up."

Garou pulled his head out of the stone it was stuck in, softly chuckling to himself as he saw his face had been imprinted on it from the impact. He turned around as he faced both monsters in front of him, not backing down an inch.

"Don't make me laugh," he growled. "You won't keep landing the same attack on me. I'm turning things around right now, just watch me." Garou walked forward as he looked up at Orochi, who towered over him. He then faced Gyoro Gyoro as he let out a devilish smile. "This guy is actually pretty strong, but that's about it. He's missing the major component of what makes a 'monster king'."

Gyoro Gyoro opened his big eye as if it could display his curiosity. "And that is?" he asked.

Garou grinned as he looked back up at Orochi. "There's no terror. He doesn't have what it takes!" Garou outstretched his arms and pulled them back sharply as he clenched his muscles. "I on the other hand... will allow you to experience true terror!"

Garou took in a deep breath and let it out as his hands moved smoothly into a martial arts position. His tense muscles relaxed but remained taut with power as he dragged his foot on the ground and braced it behind him. Monster King Orochi simply observed him as the flames around his body dimmed slightly in intensity. Garou instantly crushed the floor as he wide-stepped, crossing his arms as he prepared to combine Bomb's "Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist" and Bang's "Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist" techniques. He glared at Orichi as his intense focus and rabid anger became visible in his eyes.

"Come and be terrified!"

Gyoro Gyoro simply looked up at Orochi as he tried to see how he would react to Garou's challenge. Orochi stood there for a very short moment before something changed. Every loose snake dragon that had been flailing around his body and left arm were suddenly drawn back. His giant open mouth with rows of mouths and teeth within it began collapsing in on itself as he pulled it back into his skull, which heavily contrasted with the giant mouth that had been there moments earlier. He raised his arms slowly, before smashing both of his legs in a wide stance and crossing his arms as he bared his hands into open-palmed claws facing Garou just like Garou had done...

Garou's eyes opened wide and he loosened his stance as he realized what was happening. The giant brute was copying him...

"Are you kidding me..." he gasped as he tried to comprehend the absurdity of what was happening.

"Do you really think you're the only genius?" mocked Gyoro Gyoro as he looked at Saitama. "Sure, you had trouble avoiding Orochi's horns, but then you grew faster and learned to outrun and outmaneuver them after observing them once. However, Orochi can do the same with your attacks. Thanks to you, Orochi has grown even further!" he sang as he slowly walked back to his throne.

Garou was slightly startled as he heard Orochi speak for the first time since their fight. "As you wish, I will bestow upon you true terror..." thundered a deep, monsterized voice as it ushered complete silence in the large room they were in.

Garou, after a few moments, smiled as he looked up at his challenge. "Heh... so you really think that you copied my martial arts after only one look huh? If that is true, then watch as your so-called new techniques will be ineffective against me!" Garou declared as he once again regained his stance. With a powerful flex of his legs, the stone beneath him shattered as he flew in the air, facing Orochi head-on. He flew straight through Orochi's outstretched fingers in his own stance, winding back as he readied to deliver his attack. Garou's hands flowed like water and wind, his techniques lacking any sort of flaw... but he soon realized with wide-open eyes that it wouldn't be enough. The moment he had gone through Orochi's hands, Orochi had broken up his arms into the individual snake dragons that made up each arm. Each dragon snake's hands flowed as they independently copied Garou's Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, moving towards him as they intercepted him mid-air.

Garou felt dozens of fists smash into him, completely stopping his momentum after they pushed him back with each individual blow. He didn't even have time to wince or scream in pain before his vision blackened. Orochi continued to pummel him with each of his individual snake bodies, carrying him all the way back down until they smashed him against the wall and continued pummeling him. Orochi then simply reformed his giant arms and delivered one last earth-shaking strike before deciding that Garou was out for the count. As his fist pulled back from the wall he had punched Garou in, dozens of imprints from previous strikes remained plus an enormous one where Garou was lying unconscious in.

Gyoro Gyoro sighed as he saw the shape Garou had ended up in. "I suppose that was to be expected." he thought as he clasped his hands together. "You have yet to abandon your humanity, it is the most important step towards turning you into the monster you want to become. Perhaps you will come out even stronger after this fight if you manage to survive. Kuk Kuk Kuk, but don't think that I won't put a leash on you before that happens..."

Orochi and Gyoro Gyoro looked up as they suddenly heard faint shaking in the direction of one of the passages leading to the giant room they were in. The sounds were faint, but it was unmistakenly coming from Overgrown Rover. Gyoro Gyoro's eyes narrowed as Overgrown Rover's roars could only mean one thing. The heroes were already down here, and at least one of them was engaging him...

Gyoro Gyoro began to alter the stone in the room, his throne rising as he spoke to Orochi. "Orochi, if you would be so kind to dispose of the bothersome threat currently bothering Overgrown Rover? I will assemble the Cadres so that they are prepared to intercept the Hero Association's attack."

Orochi didn't respond as he began to walk towards one side of the room, which shifted as Gyoro Gyoro manipulated it with his Psychic abilities. Gyoro Gyoro watched Orochi slowly disappear into the darkness as the shaking from his steps slowly subsided. Letting out a breath of air through his nonexistent mouth, Gyoro Gyoro continued to rise, pulling Garou up with him as he once again entered his private facility. After handing his unconscious body to a trustworthy monster to put in a cell, he began to call the Cadres with his telepathy. It didn't take long for them to respond after a few moments.

He smiled with one eye as different figures began to appear in his room. The Hero Association's S-class was about to have the battle of their lives...


	12. Chapter 12- Diverging Paths

Fubuki jumped to the side, bumping into the wall next to her as Overgrown Rover flew past, crushing the corridor she was in as his massive body tried to turn. Using her espers powers, Fubuki raised her hands into the air as her energy was focused on all the stone above her. In a feat of strength, Fubuki brought her hands down with force, slapping the ground as all the stone above her was brought on top of Overgrown Rover. Having no flooring or roof to support them, several walls also collapsed as they all buried the giant dog under their weight. Fubuki fell on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

"He didn't go down easy," she thought as a drop of sweat ran down her face. "But hopefully this will delay him for-" she stood up quickly as the huge pile of rubble that was covering Overgrown Roer was thrown to the side as his massive body easily pushed through it.

Overgrown Rover violently shook his body as he threw every chink of stone to the side, forcing Fubuki to protect herself as she created a small blizzard around her. Using the momentum of the stones Rover had thrown at her, she simply made them fly around her as she launched them back at him. However, this did no damage as Overgrown Rover simply walked through them, opening his jaw as a red bubble of energy began to gather. Fubuki's eyes widened as fear began to creep inside her. This beast was too much for her to handle alone! Before she could react, Overgrown Rover brought his head down as he unleashed a wave of energy directly at Fubuki in point-blank range.

As the red torrent of energy reflected off Fubuki's eyes, she saw as something shiny flew past her, followed by a streak of yellow and white. As a reflex, Fubuki raised a psychic energy barrier as she shielded her head with her hands. Overgrown Rover easily destroyed the corridor Fubuki was in as well the corridors around it as its giant energy blast continued to push forward. In an overwhelming explosion and shockwave, an enormous chunk of the pathways and tunnels on the other side of the cavern disappeared as Fubuki stared at them in awe. The space she was in was flooded with dust and smoke as her hair shook wildly from the force of wind created from the blast. As she tried to see how she had survived and how she had met no resistance on her force shield, the smoke in between her and the giant dog monster began to clear. She opened her mouth in wonder as Saitama was slowly revealed, standing in front of her as looked up at the hulking beast that now had its attention on him. Saitama looked back at Fubuki as he nervously smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry I took so long, a bunch of annoying monsters were-" was all Saitama managed to get out before Overgrown Rover unleashed volley after volley of energy blasts down on him. Fubuki grabbed her head as an unbelievable force of air pushed against her, threatening to pick her up and send her flying. As the wave of air rushed past her, Fubuki looked at the spot where Saitama had previously stood, fearing the worst, before relaxing as Saitama appeared once again. He had a complete letdown look on his face as he stared up at Overgrown Rover.

"So you're the one who's been making all the noise underneath my house huh?" Saitama asked as he walked casually towards Overgrown Rover. "So where's your owner? And what the hell did he feed you to get you that big?"

Fubuki's face morphed into that of an angry devil as she shouted at Saitama. "You do realize that's not a dog right!? That's easily a Dragon Level Threat monster!"

"I'm pretty sure that's a pup," Saitama responded as he looked at Fubuki in confusion. "A dog this size shouldn't be allowed to run free without being out on a leash."

Saitama jumped incredibly fast to the side as Overgrown Rover shot a blast of energy at the ground below him, forcing Fubuki to jump and levitate with her abilities. Having nothing to stand on, Overgrown Rover collapse in the tunnels underneath him as he searched for Saitama, who was free-falling towards him.

"That's a bad dog! If you do that again I'm gonna have to beat some sense into you," Saitama admonished as Overgrown Rover began to prepare another blast of energy just for Saitama. As he fired it, the surrounding stone flooring and walls shattered and were vaporized as it blew through the spot Saitama had just been in. Before the monster could react, Saitama had jumped off a flying piece of rubble and was now falling to a spot to Rover's left. As Saitama pulled his arm back to beat a lesson into Rover, his frown was the only hint to how much trouble the giant mutt was in.

With a deafening strike, Saitama's punch collided with Overgrown Rover's side. Not using all of his power, but also not going easy on him, Saitama sent the giant monster crashing through several corridors. The force of the impact was hard enough to shatter hundreds of rooms that been around Saitama's perimeter. The initial shockwave shattered everything in its path, followed by Overgrown Rover, who continued to fly through fall after wall. Not being prepared for such a blow, Fubuki was sent flying off her feet as she tried to slow herself. As she was about to catch up to the non-shattered walls that were about to be broken by the force of Saitama's punch, she suddenly stopped as her trajectory changed. Saitama had easily caught up to her and caught her and was now flying across the giant sphere of destruction he had caused. As Fubuki managed to catch her breath from how quickly the previous events had transpired, she noticed how close she was to Saitama. He was carrying her with one of his arms gently on her back and the other right beneath her bent legs. "Just like in the movies..." she thought as she giggled and blushed, imagining how heroic Saitama looked as he flew across the aftermath of his battle.

Saitama simply raised one of his eyebrows and shivered slightly as he saw how weird Fubuki looked. "She's starting to scare me..." he thought as the tingling in his arms was now spread all the way to his torso.

Meanwhile, as the shockwave that was caused by Saitama began to be felt for miles across the Monster Association, the S-class heroes spearheading the attack against the monster headquarters felt it. Zombieman, Tatsumaki, Puri Puri Prisoner, Sweet Mask, Child Emperor, Flashy Flash, Atomic Samurai, and Pig God stopped in their tracks as it reached them. Even Genos, King, and Bomb felt it as they continued to descend, causing every hero to stop in their tracks as they wondered what could have possibly caused such an earth-shattering shockwave.

"There's no mistake..." Genos thought as he continued walking with Bang, Bomb, and King as they tried to find Saitama and Fubuki. At the same time, every Cadre moving to intercept the S-Class heroes also stopped as they tried to figure out if Orochi could have caused that shockwave.

As Saitama finally landed in a broken down corridor, he slowly lowered Fubuki as they stood a few dozen feet away from Overgrown Rover. The tingling feeling in one of his hands had started to feel...cold for some reason. Saitama shook his hand as he tried to lose the weird feeling. "Is that what something cold feels like?" he wondered as he looked at the giant dog lying unconscious in front of him.

"Looks like the pup finally got tired and went to sleep," he commented as he turned to look at Fubuki, who had a confused look on her face.

"Saitama for the last time that's not a dog. And what took you so long, I was getting bored up there," Fubuki bluffed, laughing in relief.

Saitama looked at Fubuki in confusion. "So... I didn't save you up there?"

Fubuki laughed as she saw how dense Saitama was. "You're hopeless you know that right?" she moved next to Saitama as she elbowed his arm. "I was joking, I almost died if you hadn't saved me...thank you... you still took tot long though!"

Saitama paused for a moment before letting out a light laugh as he genuinely smiled. Fubuki looked at him in wonder as she waited for him to finish. "Well that's new..." she thought as she marveled out how Saitama had laughed for the first time since she knew him. Meanwhile, as Fubuki continued to stare at Saitama with infatuation, two eyes could be seen up in the ceiling above them as they studied both figures talking below. Nyan, one of the Dragon Level Threat Cadres was looking down at Saitama as sweat fell down his face in fear.

"Wha... WHAT IS THAT GUY!?" he wondered as he saw Saitama walk towards Overgrown Rover with Fubuki a few feet behind. "He took out Overgrown Rover with one hit!?"

Nyan began to flow through the stone in the ceiling, finding all the cracks as his feline body managed to almost flow through it thanks to his unnatural abilities. "He hasn't noticed me yet, and neither has the witch with the esper abilities. If I'm able to take him out first she won't be a problem!" he planned as he moved to a spot right above Saitama. In a blink of an eye, Nyan flowed through a crack in the roof, landing between Fubuki and Saitama with incredible speed and stealth. Before Fubuki could see him properly or even warn Saitama, Nyan unleashed his "Extreme Cat Punishment" as he clawed the back of Saitama's head.

Saitama, who was looking at Overgrown Rover with a deadpan expression, simply felt something touch the back of his head as it was rocked forward. Nyan's face stretched in horror as he realized he hadn't even slightly hurt Saitama, jumping up and disappearing as Saitama slowly turned around. Fubuki, who was in the process of trying to help Saitama from the unknown attacker, had her hands outstretched towards Saitama. Thinking it was her who had hit him, Saitama crossed his arms as he frowned at her.

"Hey, what was that for?" he asked with visible concern on his face. "Don't tell me that it was because I felt your boobs with my face-"

Fubuki's soul almost left her body as she stared at Saitama. "Y-you w-what!?" she stuttered as her face turned beet red.

Realizing how wrong it sounded because of how he phrased it, Saitama waved his hands in front of him as he looked at Fubuki with a paranoid expression. "Wait it's not what you think! You fell...and then I tried to grab you...but I don't know what happened!" Saitama was kind of grinning nervously.

Fubuki smiled mischievously at Saitama. "It's fine," she said softly as she tossed her hand and stared at Saitama like a predator who had just cornered their prey. "I'll let you join the Fubuki group as an apology. You'll have the honor of being co-leader."

Saitama simply stared at her before turning around to look at Overgrown Rover, acting like he didn't hear anything. "Don't ignore me!" Fubuki shouted as she ran next to where Saitama was squatting, a disappointed look on his face. In front of him, Overgrown Rover was still breathing but remained unconscious. Saitama seemed to stare at, but his eyes betrayed the fact that he was deep in thought as if in another world. Seeing that now wasn't the time to bother him, Fubuki simply sighed as she tried to find a way to comfort him. She hesitated before placing her hand on Saitama's head and rubbing it gently. A moment passed before Saitama slowly looked at her with a haunted expression as his head shifted in her hand.

"You know Saitama, I might not understand what you've told me about not being able to find someone strong enough to fight for. I guess you feel as powerless to find a proper fight as I am powerless in front of my sister...but that's what I used to believe before hanging out with you. Maybe I can help you find your purpose or meaning," Fubuki said soothingly as she continued to stroke Saitama's head. "Maybe you won't find a fight ever, but there are things that could fill that void."

Saitama's face slowly turned blank, a small smile appearing on his face as he listened to Fubuki. Before he could say something. Fubuki finished her small motivational speech. "That's why you should join my Fubuki group!" she said excitedly as she slapped the top of Saitama's head.

"For a second there I thought you were hitting on me. And I've already told you a hundred times to stop asking me with that," Saitama said as he slowly stood up. "I can see that you don't really focus on rankings as much and probably wanna get stronger, but sometimes I'm not so sure."

"Yeah, sorry it's just a force of habit with you. I'll just follow you in your journey to find you a 'worthy opponent', maybe I'll get stronger by doing so." Fubuki laughed nervously as she started walking down the tunnel, waiting for Saitama to catch up to her. "Just promise you'll have my back if it seems like I can't handle it."

Saitama simply nodded as he acknowledged what Fubuki was telling him again. "Just don't think that means I'm accepting you as a pupil. We're also not teammates."

Fubuki frowned as she considered Saitama's words. "But... what are we then?"

Saitama simply shrugged as he held his chin in his hand. "I don't know, you kinda freak me out sometimes, but I think that's better than before when I found you completely annoying. I wouldn't call you a friend though."

Fubuki stopped, visibly hurt as she heard Saitama. Crossing her arms, she stepped away from him as she looked away. Not knowing why she felt a sudden lump in her throat and aching in her chest, she kept walking faster. Saitama immediately quickened his pace as Fubuki started to pull away from him. "Hey! Why are you moving so fast?" As Fubuki came upon an intersection in the shape of a "Y", she made her move towards the right one. As she was about to step into with Saitama preparing to run to catch her, she stopped as she realized there was nothing but empty space in front of her. The hallway they were in had slowly gotten darker and the only reason she could see the path was that there were torches on the other side of the chasm they were in. Seeing that Fubuki had stopped, Saitama relaxed as he slowly began approaching her.

"I was gonna tell you that the tunnel ended here but you ran all of a sudden," Saitama said with a hint of concern in his face. "What's gotten into you?" he asked as he saw that Fubuki's back was visibly shaking because of her quick breathing. Fubuki was looking into the abyss in front of her with her hands clasped together in front of her chest as she looked won into the endless darkness beneath. She couldn't find words for how she felt. It hadn't been long ago that she had come across this man she had never met before, gotten to know him and understand him while believing to be his friend. But maybe that was just it... was she destined to be alone or something? Her older sister always insisted that she should never have friends, and Saitama, who she believed was simple enough to accept her, had just rejected any affiliation with her. She knew it wasn't much but hadn't these past few weeks of knowing him meant nothing at all? Fubuki smiled as she felt a tear slide down her cheek unto her hand. "Look at me, acting like a little school in love because of this baldy," she thought as she wiped her eyes.

Meanwhile, Saitama stood a couple of dozen feet away, having stopped as he sensed that Fubuki was tense. "She's really acting weird today," he thought as the tingling in his body started up again, compelling him to comfort her. He looked won at his hands with a puzzled look as he tried to figure what had been provoking that weird feeling. After a few moments, he spoke loud enough for Fubuki to hear. "Did I say something wrong?" his different tone of voice causing Fubuki to turn in surprise as she seemed to be staring at another person completely. Saitama's usual simple look was gone, and in its place, she saw a man with life in his eyes staring right back at her. Looking at Saitama closely, she realized that he had sharp features and a toned neck and chiseled jaw that only hinted at his invulnerable physique. "Has he always looked like this?" she wondered as she was about to ask why he seemed different.

However, her question was soon forgotten as a faint light caught her attention. As she turned around and stared into the abyss, her eyes focused on a particular light. From what she could see, it was very faint, but there was something strange about it... it was is it was getting brighter, or maybe closer...

Saitama shook his head, his usual expressionless posture reappearing as he cocked his head. "What are you looking at?" he asked as he began to get bored.

Fubuki ignored Saitama as she tried to focus her eyes in the darkness on the light below her. As she began to think that maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her, she crouched down while looking back at Saitama. "I think I see something! But I don't know what it is..." As Fubuki turned to look back at the hole, she suddenly jolted back as something blasted past her, missing her by a few inches. As she fell back, Saitama immediately closed the distance between them as he held her up. Fubuki quickly nodded as a thank you before staring back at the chasm, where several long and thick masses were rising from below, fire trailing from them as they smashed into several different corridors from either side of the chasm. As more long pillar things continued to rise, the fire they emitted began to brighten the room, revealing that they seemed to be some sort of Dragons or snakes... Judging from the muscle mass, the force with which they crushed different corridors in their jaws, and the heat emitting fire that they expelled, the monster in front of them was no fodder.

Fubuki was just about to activate her esper powers before a giant and menacing monster head with several horns appeared. As the head began to rise, the being's eyes focused on both of them as its eyes seemed to drill into them, daring them to look into the void inside their penetrating gaze. As the head continued to rise, the monster's body soon followed. The torso was completely covered in a fire that seemed to move on its own as it engulfed his body. From within that fire, several tentacle dragon bodies emerged as they continued to clamp on to different floors and corridors. As the floor they stood on continued to shake, Fubuki began to tremble, not because of the force of the dragon snakes crashing into her surroundings, but because of how overwhelmed she felt. This monster seemed... different, even Overgrown Rover seemed harmless next to him. This monster and the heat she felt from the fire that raged across his body... the snake-like appendages that pooled from it... it was definitely Dragon Threat.

Fubuki winced as two dragon heads smashed into the floor they stood on as the hulking beast staring down at them anchored himself. Without any warning, the giant corridor they were was torn wide open as several dragon mouths tore the walls off as if they were made out of cardboard, leaving Saitama and Fubuki exposed.

"So the space under my home is occupied by weird dogs and other animals..." Saitama said with a disinterested face as he stared up at Orochi. "What are you supposed to be?" Fubuki looked at Saitama in bewilderment as she sensed no fear in his voice. He had let her go and was staring up at the monster in front of him without backing up an inch. As she stared back at Orochi, his jaws began to move as actual speech began to flow from his mouth.

"I don't recognize your face... and I don't know how you've come this far... but you don't seem to be useless trash that can be ignored..." the monster rumbled as he looked down at Saitama and Fubuki.

Realizing that Fubuki could be in danger, Saitama firmly placed his hand on her stomach and pushed her away as he gave her a stern look. Fubuki didn't need to hear anything for her to understand that if this monster was a threat that maybe even Saitama could not handle... even though until now he seemed invincible. As she backed away, she looked at Saitama, who stood his ground valiantly as he casually looked at the monster again.

"You know... I normally wouldn't be coming down here, but you've been making too much noise lately and I just wanted to let-" Saitama began to point out before a horn in Orochi's head easily closed the distance between them before smashing into Saitama. As Fubuki felt a rush of tremendous wind rush past her, she realized Orochi had already attacked Saitama, and the attack had been too fast for her to even react. She simply gasped in concern as she saw that the horn was buried into the stone behind her, with Saitama obviously beneath it as a piece of his cape was still visible under the horn and rubble he was under.

"You are an unknown threat that we have not heard of... I thought that the impact from before was abnormal, and I know that none of our cadres are capable of such a feat." Orochi's eyes snapped slightly to his left as he focused on Fubuki, the horns around his head beginning to twitch. "That only leaves to options: one of the two esper sisters, or you..." he snarled as he looked at the spot where his horn was buried. "If you are not destroyed you may become a threat to us."

Fubuki glance back, astonished as she saw Saitama appear as he pushed the monster's horn back as if it were nothing. He coughed and spit out some rocks that had gotten in his mouth as he looked at Orochi with annoyance.

"Wait... please don't tell me that there are no more weird creatures like you down here!?" Saitama asked with concern as he began to stand up. His hand dug into Orochi's horn and cracked it as applied more force to it, uninhibited by something that terrified him. "It's gonna be more than I can afford to hire exterminators!" he wailed as he looked around him. Fubuki cocked her head and Orochi seemed to pause as they stared at Saitama. As a few seconds passed, Orochi roared as he reared his head back and unleashed a torrent of burning fire at Saitama. Fubuki immediately protected herself with a sphere of psychic energy as she blocked out the heat, watching as a clueless Saitama was swallowed instantly.

"NO!" she yelled as she stretched out an arm as if to try and save Saitama. As she was distracted by knowing if he was okay, Orochi lunged at her with two of his horns as he prepared to pierce her little useless bubbled. Before Fubuki could even react, Saitama appeared again, pushing her sphere to the side with one hand, and punching Orochi's horns to the side with his other hand.

"Phew! That was close!" Saitama said with relief as he held both of his hands against Fubuki's sphere. Seeing that he was okay, Fubuki's shoulders slumped down in relief before she looked to her side as she noticed something move. Seeing that she was looking at something in the distance, both Orochi and Saitama looked behind her as they noticed Overgrown Rover shaking aggressively as he threw several pieces of stone off his giant body. He began to walk towards them, his eyes blinking as he tried to get adjusted to the bright light that came from the fire that Orochi gave off. As he finally regained his sight and noticed Orochi, Overgrown Rover stopped in his tracks.

"So you're still alive... finish this human off for me," Orochi commanded as he stared at Overgrown Rover.

As Fubuki began to worry that two threats that were beyond her seemed to want to team up on Saitama, she was taken aback when she saw the giant dog that had attacked them earlier turn his back on them as he began to flee. Smiling as she became reassured, she looked back at Orochi, who had seemed to start growling and breathing audibly as his eyes remained on Saitama.

"What have you done to Overgrown Rover?"

Saitama, who was still holding Fubuki's barrier, slowly turned around as he faced Orochi. "I beat him up. You could have hurt Fubuki you know? No matter how you look at it, only a monster would hurt a lady. I won't go as easy on you," Saitama said simply as he began to walk towards Orochi.

Fubuki's eyes widen as she expected the monster in front of them to attack them, but he seemed to be fixated on Saitama, who had a fist clenched as he slowly walked towards Orochi.

"Go easy... on me?" Orochi rumbled as he pulled back slightly. "You must be what took out Elder Centipede and Goketsu... does this mean that the rumored monster in the abandoned Z city was neither me nor the monster association... it was you!?" he roared as the flames around his body seemed to get hotter, making it possible for Fubuki to feel their heat even inside her sphere.

Saitama looked up at Orochi in confusion. "Goku what? Elder Centipede? Stop talking gibberish."

Orochi didn't respond with words as he heard Saitama speak, in his excitement, he didn't even seem to even register what he said. As both Saitama and Fubuki stared, the giant mouths filled with protruding fang-like teeth began to collapse in on themselves as they feel back into Orochi's skull. As they quickly withdrew, Orochi's true head was revealed as his enormous jaws shut tight and several bright red glowing eyes opened around his skull.

"I...I haven't been this excited in a long time!" he roared as several dragon heads that were biting into the stone corridors around suddenly retracted as they destroyed everything around them. In an instant, Orochi's true form was revealed as all the dragon snakes around snapped back into formation as his legs and arms were reformed. While other dragon heads continued to hold him in place, he flexed his arms as the flames around his body began to become so red with heat that the stone closest to him began to melt. As the shaking around them began to subside, Orochi spoke again, his voice deeper than it was before as it seemed to reverberate around them.

"It seems this will be a battle against the strongest... you have piqued my interest human. For you to have reached this amount of strength... how will it fair up against me, the monster King?"

"Monster King?" thought Fubuki. "We know that the Monster Association could only have happened if someone was strong enough to rein everyone in... but for us to have encountered him so soon!? We should have all the S-Class heroes gathered together to take on such a challenge!" As she snapped back into reality, she realized Orochi was still speaking as his voice seemed to get higher in excitement. The horns around his head had transformed in fiery serpents as they continue to twist and turn in the air.

"I wonder if you'll be able to reawaken those faint emotions of mine that have slipped away... I, the ultimate life form, I the greatest threat to humanity..." Orochi was interrupted as Saitama held up a hand impatiently.

"Look! Dude, I really don't care who you are. I'm sick of hearing every monster I'm about to fight monologue and their self-introductions. KIng of this, the ancient weapon of that, final evolution, sealed whatnot, blah blah blah. I've literally fought so many dudes like you. What's the big difference. It's always gonna end in one punch..." Saitama sighed as he looked at Fubuki. "Let's go home, hopefully, this was enough of a warning for this guy to stop being so annoying."

As Saitama turned around and began walking back towards Fubuki, Orochi continued to hover in place as he simply stared at him in silence. The air seemed to be about to explode tension as Saitama's footsteps were the only thing that could be heard in the space around them. As he got a dozen feet near Fubuki, his face got serious as he looked to the side. "Here we go again, you should go somewhere safe Fubuki." Before she could even register his words, Fubuki saw a blur as Orochi suddenly lunger forward as he threw his massive fist into the tunnel. As his fist flew through the air, it suddenly split apart into individual snake bodies as they seemed to move in a fluid motion to attack in a way that she had only seen Bang do before. As his fist was about to crash against them, Saitama immediately turned around and swung his fist, destroying an entire section of the monster's arm. As Orochi's left side was pushed back from Saitama's punch, he swung with his right arm, which disassembled as it split into individual dragons snakes. Instead of trying to strike Saitama, the dragons simply twisted in a circular motion as they released waves of fire blasts that rapidly converged into Saitama. Seeing that Fubuki was about to get caught in the blast, Saitama punched the air, sending a shock wave that sent Orochi crashing into the opposite side of the chasm.

As he tried avoiding to get Fubuki getting stuck in the crossfire, Saitama jumped out of their corridor, flying across the air before being caught by a random dragon body that sent him hurling into a different section. Orochi immediately got back up and began to fire quick bursts of fire where Saitama had previously been before turning his attention to Fubuki. Not wanting to be protected and seen as a child, Fubuki mustered all the psychic energy she had and heaved forward as a massive amount of psychic energy crashed into Orochi... with little to no effect. As he pointed his massive arm at her, preparing to blast her, Saitama threw a giant portion of the chasm at him. Orochi immediately caught it with his dragon bodies and flung them back at Saitama.

Seeing that her attack hadn't even stalled Orochi, Fubuki picked up several stones around her as she made them spin violently in circles around her. Maybe if she made them gain momentum before launching them at him, they could do some damage. As she was about to throw the giant stones she had collected at Orochi, she heard something behind her, causing her to swivel her head back. To her misfortune, Overgrown Rover had returned, and without Saitama, she didn't have a chance. As Overgrown Rover was about to clamp his jaws around her, Fubuki felt a massive gust of wind as pure air pressure smashed into Overgrown Rover, causing him to bounce off the wall next to Fubuki. Saitama had managed to once again save her flying in mid-air before being grabbed by Orochi's giant fist. Orochi proceeded to smash him into every corridor around him before swinging him downwards into the darkness. Seeing that Saitama was gone, Overgrown Rover lunged for Fubuki, who immediately surrounded herself with Psychic energy in a powerful sphere. As Overgrown Rover began to apply pressure, Fubuki could feel her body shaking from exertion as she tried to keep giant jaws from crashing her. As she felt the sphere around her slowly grown smaller from pressure, she felt the weight weaken a bit as Overgrown Rover became distracted. Fubuki turned around to see Saitama running up Orochi's body as he tried making his way towards her. He had been continuously gotten hit and thrown around just because he was trying to save her.

With this realization, Fubuki's fear subsided as a glint of determination appeared in her eyes. "Saitama, focus on him! I'm holding you back, I'll find a way to deal with this thing!" she screamed as Overgrown Rover began to sprint away to avoid the danger Saitama was.

Realizing that Rover was taking Fubuki away, Saitama yelled in frustration as he swung his fist up, destroying several of Orochi's dragon snake bodies. "You better survive Fubuki! I better see you after I kill this monster!"

Struggling to hear Saitama as the distance between them increased exponentially, Fubuki yelled one more time before Saitama was swallowed by a torrent of flames. "I promise I"ll live, but you better too!" As she focused back on Rover, she began to push harder against his jaws, managing to open them a few feet before she felt immense pressure threaten to crush her sphere. It wasn't gonna be easy to hold him back!

Meanwhile, Saitama had barely managed to land on the corridor he and Fubuki had previously been in before Orochi shoved his whole arm into it. Several dragons heads around his arms slammed together as they converged into one before unleashing an unbelievable amount of energy that pulverized everything around Saitama as it sent him flying. Saitama was picked up and thrown into the wave of energy, riding it out as hundreds of rooms around him were completely destroyed from his battle with Orochi. Overgrown Rover, who was sprinting as fast as he could, sped up as he saw a blast of pure energy heading towards him. As Fubuki realized that it was continuing to get hotter, she thickened her barrier as she hoped it would hold. As she tried to find the source of the heat while inside Overgrown Rover's giant jaws, she began to see a bright light that was rapidly getting brighter. "This can't be good!" she thought as she felt Overgrown Rover jolt as he crashed into a wall right beside him. As Overgrown began to take several turns, Fubuki was able to see the blast that was heading towards them before Overgrown Rover Rover suddenly stopped as he caught himself from falling into a deep chasm.

Fubuki's reflexively shut her eyes as she prepared to be incinerated with the huge monster that was trying to eat her. As a flashing glimpse of Saitama appeared in her mind, she was startled as she felt something smash into Overgrown Rover. As he released the pressure on her psychic barrier, she immediately let it go as she tried to jump out of his mouth. Before she could take more than two steps, Bang appeared in front of her as he yelled, "grab on young lady!" before picking her up and jumping clear out of Overgrown Rover's snapping maw. As Bang jumped into the chasm below, a small part of the circumference of Orochi's blast flew on by as it obliterated the spot they had been in before. As Bang began to descend rapidly, Fubuki stretched her arm out as she descended their fall. Soon after they touched the stone floor, Bomb smashed into the floor as he stopped his fall with his legs.

Wincing in pain, Bomb looked at Band and Fubuki with a small frown. "That really hurt my knees! I shouldn't be doing this kind of stuff at my age."

As Bang helped Fubuki down, she almost collapsed before he helped her stand up. As she starting wheezing and struggling to breathe from how hard she pushed herself to hold back Overgrown Rover, Bang and Bomb waited patiently before questioning. After a few seconds, Fubuki recovered before looking up wildly as she tried to find the spot from where she and Bang fell from.

"Hey, what's wrong? She looks completely in shock Bang," commented Bomb as he stared at Fubuki.

"Let her be brother, she narrowly escaped a blast that packed a lot of punch. What I want to know is what kind of monster it was that unleashed that!"

"Bang I've already told you before that you should be seeking retirement, these things are getting harder and harder to kill every time. If a monster like that centipede appears here, without the bald, young man we are done for."

"That's only more of a reas-"

"We have to help him!" Fubuki shouted suddenly as she grabbed Bang and Bomb's shoulder.

"Help who?"

"Saitama! He's fighting the leader of the monsters. This thing was beyond anything I've ever seen before... he could kill him!" panicked Fubuki as she started pacing while looking up at the ceiling several hundred floors above them.

Bang stopped her as he grabbed both of her shoulders while staring intently into her eyes. "Are you about what you are saying, young lady? If that is so, let's go help our friend before something bad happens. To think you ran into the leader this early!"

Fubuki simply smiled, nodding as she wiped the tears of worry that had begun to form on her face. As she regained her composure, she encapsulated Bang and Bomb in two separate psychic capsules. As she was about to begin to rise with them to assist Saitama, something black and massive landed on the floor in front of them. As a wave of stone flooring was sent hurtling towards them from the impact, Fubuki managed to fling it to the side. As the smoke cleared, Fubuki, Bang, and Bomb's eyes opened wide as Overgrown Rover appeared. His red glowing eyes seemed to penetrate the smoke before his massive form appeared as he closed in on them. As he stopped a few dozen feet away from them, he began to circle them as began to pounce.

"Shit! So he did manage to shake off my blow and escape that blast!" grunted Bang as he and his older brother took two fighting stances. "I guess we'll have to get rid of this mutt first."

"Look at his left side. This thing is already damaged," commented Bomb as he noticed Overgrown Rover's scorched side. "We should be able to take him out by working together!"

Fubuki, Bang, and Bomb prepared themselves as Overgrown Rover suddenly stopped. As he let a sharp burst of energy hit the ground in front him as it created smoke, he lunged through it as Fubuki unleashed her full power to grab hold of him and smash him into the ground while Bang and Bomb began to use their techniques as they rapidly punched and kicked his sides. Before they could deliver too many blows, the entire structure they were in as another blast of pure energy could be heard echoing around them. Several giant fragments of stone above them began to crash down on them Fubuki shielded them from the rocks. As she pulled Bang and Bomb into her own bubble to reinforce it, Overgrown Rover pounced on them. Before he could smash into them, a bolt of lightning struck him, causing him to yelp before for forcing him to jump back. Fubuki, on the other hand, was sweating uncontrollably as she barely managed to hold all of the electric blows that struck the sphere they were in.

Bang and Bomb simply stared at the spot where the lighting had emerged from as if they were seeking its origin. Meanwhile, as that lighting continued to strike them and the Monster Associaton base continued to shake, several S class heroes were forced to protect or shield themselves as several lighting blots threatened to strike them. Tracing that lighting back to its source, any person could see that it was simply a little bit of escaped energy that seemed to radiate from the power of Orochi's latest blast. For miles in front of him, a titanic hole had been carved into thousands of rooms and halls as he tried to find where he had blasted Saitama. As he squinted, he noticed a figure rapidly getting larger as it sped towards him. Saitama was full-out sprinting as he easily closed in the space between Orochi. As the miles he ran enabled him to gain momentum, Saitama reached the end of the massive monster-made tunnel he was in before jumping towards Orochi. As he flew towards Orochi with a fist cocked behind his back, Saitama was ready to deliver a normal punch before Orochi clamped several Dragon heads all around his body. After stopping Saitama's momentum, Orochi quickly tried to crush him only for Saitama to destroy the snake bodies holding him as he wiggled free.

As he began to fall, Saitama aimed threw a punch in front of him, forcing his own body to be catapulted in that direction as Orochi hovered above him. Seeing that Saitama was slowly destroying him, Orochi decided to stop holding back as the giant mouth on his chest opened and every single dragon head on his body pointed themselves at Saitama and fired the largest blast he had yet. The mere force of the blast being released downwards unto Saitama shattered their whole surroundings as it rushed towards him. Saitama, who had landed on a flying piece of stone immediately pushed off it as he met the blast. In that single moment, Orochi was not able to anticipate Saitama flying straight through his blast before releasing a massive punch that took him straight through Orochi as his body was literally blown apart. As Saitama began to fall with his fist up in the air, Orochi's head fell alongside him as the small orbs on his giant red eyes focused on him.

"W...what...what was that?" he managed to let out as life began to leave his body.

Saitama simply stared at Orochi with a normal expression before responding. "That was a normal punch."

As Saitama landed on the edge of a random room, he dodged to the side as Orochi's head bounced off the spot he had been standing in before continuing to descend.

"So... this...is fear..." thought Orochi as his entire fragmented body fell into the abyss. As he stared at Saitama, he slowly saw him get smaller as the distance between them grew. However, even from a long distance, Orochi could see that Saitama was not even one bit winded. His power was no bluff at all...

Saitama sighed as he looked down into the darkness where Orochi had fallen into. This guy hadn't even been able to manage a serious punch like that guy called... the denominator of the universe? Before he could put much thought into it, he suddenly remembered something. "Crap, I totally lost track of Fubuki!" he thought as he looked around him. He continued to turn from side to side but his surroundings had been left unrecognizable after Orochi had continuously crashed into every wall and corridor as well as blasted everything around him. Saitama slapped his head as he realized he had no idea where Fubuki was. "I really should have taken this guy out sooner, I hope she's okay..."

* * *

Gyoro Gyoro lay on the ground bleeding and gasping for breath as Tatsumaki floated a few feet above the ground behind him. All of his limbs and appendages had been ripped off by the little witch and all he could do now was to cry out to Orochi as he looked for him. As one of his eye spies entered a chasm where he had last sensed Orochi, he noticed that there was monster blood everywhere. As he continued to search he began to find several dragon bodies that could only belong to Orochi. Fearing the worst, he continued to look before coming across Orochi's head.

"Found him! A...Aaaaaahhhhh! He's dead!? But who could have done this!?" Gyoro Gyoro panicked as his real body wiggled while trying to get away from Tatsumaki. Meanwhile, his eye scouter began to fly around rapidly as it tried to find the being that had been able to take down Orochi himself. "He couldn't have gone very far! I need to see who it was, analyze their battle prowess and assess a way to defeat him!" As his eye continued to rise, it spotted a figure that appeared to belong to a man that was looking down... As the eye settled in front of Saitama, he immediately clapped both of his hands as he crushed it.

Gyoro Gyoro stopped squirming in pure confusion and despair as he felt his eye drone be crushed without being able to even move. "W-What!? Who is that!? A bald man I've never seen before?"

Tatsumaki laughed as she picked up Gyoro Gyoro and held him up in the air. "So a bald man defeated your monster leader? It must have been Darkshine, but who cares? You should be more worried about yourself right now..." She said with a sly smile as she picked up Gyoro Goro and began to split him apart wither psychic powers.

* * *

Deep in another part of the Monster Association, a room began to shake before one of its walls exploded outward as Puri Puri Prisoner jumped through it. As he waited for his eyes to get adjusted to the dark, he crouched silently as he tried to hear any movement. "That little kitten calling himself a cadre really managed to get away from me..." he said softly as he stood up and squinted to see better in the dark. As his eyes began to adjust, he noticed that the room he was in was completely littered with bones, whether human or not, he did not know. As he continued to look around his eyes fell upon a figure that was against the wall with both of his arms in the air. As Puri Puri Prisoner walked closer to the dark figure, he realized it was simply a human with both of his arms in chains.

"A human prisoner?" he asked loudly as he rushed towards the figure. "I've come to rescue you! I'm the S Class Hero Puri Puri Prisoner... oh my... you're not so bad looking... I've escaped prison just to see you!" Puri Puri Prisoner paused as he stopped right in front of the figure. As his face hovered a few inches away, he stuttered as he began to recognize the man's face. "I-I think I recognize you from a... wanted poster?"

As those last words left his mouth, Garou's pupil-less eyes opened as let out an ear-piercing howl. Before Puri Puri Prisoner could pull back from surprise, Garou flexed his arms and easily broke his chains as he tore into the Class S hero's body with 2 powerful blows. Puri Puri Prisoner's eyes opened wide in pain and a spray of blood erupted from his mouth as he was forced unto his knees. As he fought to stay conscious, he placed his hands on the floor so that he wouldn't collapse. "I-I can't get...up!" he thought as he coughed up more blood unto the floor. "Even though I shielded myself with my bristle armor... I still receive such...damage!"

As Puri Puri Prisoner tried to recover, Garou slowly pushed himself off the wall as his fingers remained bent in a claw-like manner. His body shivered as every muscle tightened before Garou slowly flexed his arms as he spread them apart, howling like a beast. Puri Puri Prisoner gasped as he tried to raise his head, fear invading his eyes as he saw the monster in the making in front of him. As he began to sweat in fear, he held his chest as he fought to stand up.

"This is a dangerous man whom I've awakened!" he thought as he felt the eyes of a hunter focus on him. Managing to push himself off the floor as he got back on his feet, Puri Puri Prisoner wobbled and took a few steps back as he tried to catch himself from falling. As he raised his hands laughing nervously, he eyed Garou as he did his best to anticipate his next attack. The feral beast of a man who stood in front of him took a step forward before disappearing as the S Class Hero's world went black.


	13. Chapter 13- A Looming Threat

Fubuki fell on one knee as she continued to sweat profusely, her esper powers disappearing momentarily as she tried to understand what she was feeling.

As Bomb and Bang continued to dodge and strike Overgrown Rover, Bang noticed that Fubuki had collapsed as he managed to evade one of the monster's giant paws. As he was about to deliver a powerful blow to Overgrown Rover, he was forced to retreat as the giant dog began to fire off random blasts that began to destroy his nearby vicinity. As both martial artists began to evade his blasts, Overgrown Rover noticed that Fubuki was not moving at all and stopped releasing blasts as he began to charge a powerful blast for her. As he fired it, Fubuki regained focus and tried to eject a barrier to protect herself but failed as her body seemed to lose all of its strength when a shiver went up her body. As Bang and Bomb noticed Fubuki was not going to be able to protect herself, they rushed towards her knowing that they wouldn't make it in time. As the blast was about to hit her, her body suddenly lurched to the side as something picked her up at incredible speeds and rushed her out of the blast radius of what could have meant her death.

As she fell to the floor on her hands and knees, she looked up to see none other than the Demon Cyborg... but with a new and improved mechanical body.

"Genos-Kun what took you so long!?" shouted Bang with relief as he took a stance while facing Overgrown Rover. "We can really use some of your help over here!"

Genos simply nodded as he looked down on Fubuki. "I'd expect more from one of the Esper sisters. To leave yourself unguarded could mean the defeat of other heroes who would be too focused on saving you," he commented with a stern tone.

Fubuki immediately furrowed her eyebrows in momentary anger before standing up as her esper powers struggled to return. "I'm sorry... it's just that my sister is very close... judging from the amount of power she is using she is fighting a very strong foe. It is very rare for her to have to use this much power..."

Bomb shot his brother a glance as Overgrown Rover gave them a few moments of rest while he watched them. "Psychic powers..." he commented before Overgrown Rover tried to catch them by surprise.

Genos simply stared at Fubuki as he seemed to get more focused as he tried to assess the situation. "Does this mean that there might be monsters who are as, or even more capable than Overgrown Rover?"

Fubuki simply frowned as she continued to sweat from sensing how much her older sister was exerting herself in her own battle. "Yes... battles at that level might prove deadly for anyone at this point..." Fubuki squeezed her arms in worry as she saw that Bomb and Bang were continuing to fight the giant dog but were failing in dealing him any significant damage. As a green aura began to appear her body, she looked at Genos with determination as she nodded at him. "I won't drag you down. Let's take down this monster once and for all."

Needing no other words of directions, Genos nodded back as he turned to face Overgrown Rover and rushed towards him from a blind spot. Meanwhile, Fubuki rose high up above them as she began to pour stone after stone down on Overgrown Rover. Making sure to stay out of the way of Fubuki's stones, Bang and Bomb began to pummel the monster from both of his sides while Genos flashed him to prevent him from escaping. As he continued to let them hit Overgrown Rover, Genos gave them a warning before letting a massive incineration blast crash straight into the monster's head. With a huge explosion, dust and smoke made any sort of visibility impossible as Fubuki, Bang, Bomb, and Genos regrouped.

"Well done Genos! You surely have gotten stronger!" congratulated Bang as he touched his mustache.

"I merely exploded an opening that you, Bomb, and Blizzard of Hell created for me," Genos responded firmly as he held his head high. "I have a lot of information about the Dragon Level Threat Monsters located in this base. If what Blizzard of Hell said is true and her sister is fighting a strong opponent then these threats might be on the same level as Elder Centipede. This means that the data I have received on them is in fact correct.

"Data?" asked Bomb as he crossed his arms while facing Genos. "What data? Just a few hours ago you said you didn't know anything about this place or its residents."

Genos nodded as he affirmed what Bomb had said. "After waiting for Saitama Sensei, I finished my repairs, Dr. Kusenu helped me by upgrading my cyborg body. Soon after, I-" Genos stopped as his eyes seemed to brighten before he turned around sharply as he looked into the smoke where he had fired his incineration at Overgrown Rover.

"Genos?" asked Fubuki before being interrupted as Genos began to fire several blasts into the smoke as mini-explosion rocked the giant cavern place they were in.

"Genos-Kun what are you firing at!?" demanded Bang. Before Genos could continue firing more incineration blasts or answer Bang, they all heard a deep, guttural growl as something seemed to be beyond the smoke.

"He's still alive!" shouted Bomb before a bright light seemed to fill the entire carven. A split second later, the smoke in front of them was easily blown to the side as one massive energy orb from Overgrown Rover sped right towards them. Bomb, Bang, and Genos had no moment to run away and evade the blast, choosing to raise their guard and hold off the blast before Fubuki decided to take action. As she barely managed to erect a psychic sphere, Overgrown Rover's blast made direct contact with it, destroying all of their surroundings as smoke seemed to envelop the entire cavern. As several cracks began to appear in Fubuki's sphere, she grunted and screamed internally as she pushed even harder, hardening her shield as the last of Overgrown Rover's energy flew around it. As she saw that she had managed to defend against it, she let go of her shield, letting all the heroes drop as a dozen feet of stone below them had been destroyed as well.

"Without my projection just now, there would have been nothing left of you. You owe be one!" she shouted as she tried to regain her composure. As she spoke, her bloodshot eye and the blood that dripped from her nose were evidence of how hard it was to block Overgrown Rover's powered up blast. As she began to use her esper powers again, she looked at the 3 heroes behind her. As she seemed to struggle to breathe and the veins on her forehead bulged, she raised one of her fingers in a warning. "But don't expect me to be able to block the next one."

As Bang, Bomb, and Genos looked up in worry, Fubuki turned around to see that Overgrown Rover was almost on top of them as he began to charge a massive energy ball. As lighting began to form around it and a heatwave slammed into them, Fubuki knew what was coming. "I can't run away..." she thought as her life flashed before her eyes. Her accomplishments, regrets, and desires for what she wished she could have done... As she saw Genos jump in front of her, she knew that he did not have the ability to stop it. "Saitama, I'm so sorry... I wish a lot of things were different... but for now I'll focus on saving your pupil," she decided as she walked up to Genos.

"Listen, all of you! I will hold him back! As members of my Fubuki group, I have decided to let you escape while I protect you," Fubuki declared as she pointed one of her hands at Bomb and Bang, who looked down at their bodies as they felt something different. "I have reinforced your bodies... as for you Demon Cyborg, please let me handle this..." Genos looked back at her, the energy around his arms dissipating as he grunted in uncertainty.

"No, I have the responsibility to protect you, I will make sure to defeat Overgrown Rover here and now!" he responded as he turned back to Overgrown Rover, charging up his incineration as he prepared to intercept the monster.

Fubuki yelled in anger as she gabbed Genos' shoulder. "I'm not asking you to move, I'm telling you-"

"And I have no obligation to obey you!" Genos shouted as Overgrown Rover leaned forward, raising his head as he prepared to unleash his energy blast. "I owe my life to Saitama sensei, and if I can at least save the only person who can help him regain emotion, then so be it!"

Before Fubuki could respond, Overgrown Rover crushed the stone beneath him with his paws as he braced himself before unleashing a massive energy blast. Genos immediately responded by unleashing his incineration, which was easily pushed back and dispersed as the thicker blast of the cadre dominated it. As Genos opened his eyes wide knowing he had failed, a force launched him back as Fubuki stood behind him almost vowing with her hands to the side. "So this is it..." she thought as she took a step forward, raising her hands up in the air and pushing forward as any trace of fear and uncertainty leaving her eyes. As she screamed to muster her strength, she began to dig deep to throw everything she had Overgrown Rover's blast. Before she could properly meet the blast head-on, she stopped as she saw Bang Bomb rush in front of her. In a fluid and coordinated motion, both Bang and Bomb utilized their martial arts skills to redirect Overgrown Rover's blast. As Fubuki and Genos stood still, unable to believe how such an enormous blast avoided them, they felt a massive explosion high above them as the energy crashed against the walls.

As Fubuki slowly brought her eyes down, both of the martial artists stood in front of her, in their stances as they stared down the monster in front of them.

"The sharpness has returned to our fists!" Bang and Bomb said at the same time as Overgrown Rover roared in frustration as he began to grind the stone floor with his claws before rushing forward. As both martial artists saw this, they stomped on the floor, charging Overgrown Rover as they began to use their individual martial arts skills.

"Let's go, brother!"

"I'm way ahead of you!"

Seeing that Overgrown Rover could smash into them, Fubuki and Genos dived out of the way as Bang and Bomb simultaneously evaded the giant mutt by jumping to opposite sides. As Overgrown Rover jumped past them, both martial artists di not have to say anything as they began to unleash their attacks.

"Whirlwind..."

"Water Stream..."

"Cross Fang Dragon Slayer Fist!" they shouted as they began to pound the giant dog, sending vibrations across his entire body as they completely put a halt to his movement. As they continued to punch him faster and faster, Overgrown Rover continued to remain still as he absorbed their blows. After a few moments, he began to whine before falling forward as Bang and Bomb stopped striking him, only to jump behind him as they kicked his giant body into a wall, where several rooms and corridors began to collapse and bury him. As Fubuki and Genos watched in complete awe, both martial artists laughed together as they pumped their fists in victory.

"You know brother... I might actually take your word and retire after this!" Bang said gleefully as he and his brother walked up to Genos and Fubuki.

"You should really consider making new friends," Bomb joked as he put his arm over his brother.

"T-they really defeated it!?" Fubuki thought as she looked at the spot where Overgrown Rover lay in. The S-Class Hero Silverfang and his brother... just how strong are they!?" Fubuki began sweating as she looked at both Martial artists. "I can't believe that SIlverfang has this level ability... and his brother who is not a hero is just as strong as him! The time to recruit them is now!" She wiped the blood off of her face and quickly smiled and raised her head with style as she stared at both elder men.

"Excellent job you two!"

Both Bang and Bomb stopped congratulating themselves as they looked at her and smiled in return. "You did an excellent job, Ms. Blizzard, as did you Demon Cyborg," Bomb responded as he bowed his head with Bang following his example.

Genos, who had been watching them, bowed his head in return before shooting Fubuki a look. "Here we go again..." he mumbled quietly.

Laughing nervously as she stared at both martial artists, Fubuki suddenly smiled confidently as she began to straighten her bargain. "If Saitama can't resist something like this there's no way they can..." she thought as she kept her innocent face up. "I would like you to know," she began nervously as she raised a hand in the air, "that if you join the Fubuki group, there's a 3kg beef set we are offering-"

"No," responded Genos simply before looking away as Fubuki shot him a malevolent look. Before they could start bickering, there was a sudden "CRASH!" as the stone where Overgrown Rover had been exploded outward as he jumped out of the rubble. As he shook the stone off, he looked at the heroes with his head cocked to the side as he began pacing towards them. Fubuki, Genos, Bang, and Bomb stood there with blank looks on their faces before jumping back and taking a stance as they got ready for battle once again.

"This thing is still alive!?" shouted Bomb as he looked at his brother, "just how tough is he?"

"What an annoying dog! Why can't he just 'sit and behave?'" responded Bang as he got ready to lunge forward.

To everyone's surprise, Overgrown Rover suddenly stopped and stared at them before sitting down. Seeing that their lives had been spared and she wasn't probably gonna die today, Fubuki collapse and fell hard on her butt as she began to complain and cry out. Bomb had a sour expression as he simply crossed his arms and looked down, realizing that words could have defeated the monster. Sighing in relief, Bang crossed his hands behind his back as he smiled at the group. "Well then, we should probably move ahead, Saitama or the other S-Class may need our help-"

Bang was interrupted as Genos stretched out his hands and united them as he shouted, "This is our chance Bang, hit him with everything you've got!" before unleashing a storm of incineration at Overgrown Rover.

"No! What are-" Bang began to say but it was too late. Genos' blast crashed into Overgrown Rover, creating a giant puff of smoke which was blown away as the giant dog began to growl, standing on his feet and crouching as he began to pounce. Seeing that they could do only one thing, Fubuki acted fast as she summoned a wave of Psychic energy which she used to smash Genos into the floor.

"You've been bad too! Sit down!" she shouted as she turned her head slowly towards Overgrown Rover, smiling nervously as she waited for his response. Seeing that Genos had been properly punished, Overgrown Rover relaxed and lay his giant body down as he stared at the group. Bang, Bomb, and Fubuki simply sighed in relief before Genos stood up, his eyes shining bright as he focused on the esper.

"I'm going to eliminate you..." he said harshly, taking a step forward before Bomb stopped him by placing a hand on his chest.

"This is not the time for childish behavior, we have to get out of here before the dog changes his mind." As Bomb said this he bit his tongue hard as he tried to hold back the thoughts that had been bothering him. "We used one of our strongest attacks together, and again another monster easily shakes it off... my confidence is completely crushed."

Fubuki suddenly held chest, drawing Bang's, Bomb's, and Genos' attention as they quickly walked over to her. As Fubuki closed her eyes in concentration, she searched for something that she had recently begun to feel... but she couldn't seem to reach it.

"What's wrong?" asked Bang as he stopped in front of her.

"Her vital signs are increasing rapidly..." commented Genos angrily as he continued to look at Overgrown Rover, who lay peacefully well away from them.

"Could it have been how much she exerted herself?" added Bomb.

"No... it's not that," answered Fubuki as she clenched her eyes shut. "I can feel something... I can feel my sister, and I know she feels me... she's angry, but that's not what I'm focusing on right now..."

Bang and Bomb stared at each other in confusion while Genos stared at Fubuki with interest as he waited for her to reveal something. "Well? Just say it!"

As she remained still for a little longer, focused as she tried to understand what she was feeling through her psychic abilities, Fubuki began to describe the world she felt around her to herself. She thought about how she had learned how to 'feel' and touch objects with her mind when she was younger, and how she could do the same with people. Unlike inanimate objects, she could feel their aura, which is what made people or monsters so different from inanimate objects. In front of her, she faintly felt Genos, Bang, and Bomb... she didn't have a very strong connection with them... but with Tatsumaki she did. As she began to go beyond what she could feel around her, she could feel Tatsumaki and her small amount of fatigue... she could feel her...anger? Did she know Fubuki was here against her will? Fubuki shut her eyes even tighter as she tried to focus on what she was really worried about. She had known him as long as her sister, but lately, she had become quite used to his presence... if she so chose she could identify him amidst hundreds of people...

"Ms. Blizzard, we should really-" began to say Bomb before Fubuki interrupted him.

"I know..." she responded softly before opening her eyes, which had a green glow to them that slowly began to subside.

"Are you sure you are okay?" asked Bang politely.

Fnodded in response as she hugged herself. "Yes, I will be okay Silverfang. I just wanted to make sure..."

Bang furrowed his eyes as he looked at Fubuki. "Sure about what?"

As a soft smile began to form on Fubuki's face, she simply looked at her companions before turning her back to them. "He's safe... I knew he'd beat that thing. Come, we have to regroup as soon as possible, who knows what challenges lie ahead," she said gently before growing determined as she finished. As she began walking forward in the direction where she had felt Saitama, Genos, Bang, and Bomb followed closely behind as they left the giant mutt they had just fought behind. As the darkness slowly swallowed them in the corridor they had begun walking in, a gooey substance began to seep out of the floor of the cavern they had been in previously. As it continued to pool out, it began to move as a single mass which moved in their direction as it gave up on Overgrown Rover, who had already begun to run away.

* * *

Meanwhile, Saitama continued to explore the monster association as he tried to find a way to Fubuki. Despite him walking into various different rooms he had not seen before, he hadn't yet realized that he was walking farther and farther away from Fubuki. As he continued to go down random corridors, he slowly began descending as he tried to find a route that he might have seen before. As he was walking, he began to feel a soothing, pulling sensation that seemed to put his hair on end as he looked back into the direction of where he felt the pull. For some reason that sensation was familiar.

Saitama thought back to when he had told Fubuki that they weren't anything, including friends. "What an idiot," he thought before catching himself. Lately, he had been acting weird, and the weird tingling he'd felt before a dozen times wasn't going away either... "I should really look for Fubuki, I think I might have said something wrong that made her act all weird before that huge jerk attacked us." Saitama paused again as felt a faint sadness, but to him, the feeling was already alien from how long he had gone without experiencing those emotions. As he tried to interpret it, he started walking in the direction of Fubuki as he was subconsciously comforted by the pulling sensation. As he came to a hallway intersection, he was intercepted as a weird octopus looking things with several eyes and claws loomed over him, ready to attack before it was blown apart with a single punch. As he paused to look at the mess he made, Saitama looked down at his fist, completely forgetting what he had been thinking as indifference once again took over. "This place is really annoying," he thought as he looked at the ceiling above him. "Maybe I should just jump through the roof... no, I might bring down the whole place." As he began walking forward, he was almost coming across to a sudden turn in his path where a figure was waiting as it assessed him.

Unbeknownst to Saitama, Flashy Flash, the S-Class hero stood against the wall with his hand on his sword hilt as he waited for Saitama to reach the end of the corner. He had not yet seen Saitama, so he lay prepared as he waited to cut a monster apart.

"It doesn't seem to be very large... based on its footsteps it weights 70kg max, and its aura doesn't match any of the monster's I've sensed so far... taking it down in less than a second won't be a problem!" he thought as he bolted around the corner in an instant. Saitama, who was casually walking towards the corner where Flashy Flash had been in, was surprised to see someone as he saw the hero swing his sword at him. In an instant, Saitama moved his head to both sides as Flashy Flash flew by with an astonished look in his face. "He dodged it!?" thought Flashy Flash as he turned around, only to see Saitama standing a foot away from him as he stared at him with a confused expression.

"Huh?" Saitama asked with the dumbest expression possible as he stared down at the hero, who began to sweat as he realized where he had seen the caped baldy before.

"It's that low-ranked hero who was at the S-Class hero meeting... Demon Cyborg's pupil?" Flashy Flash slowly stood up as he studied Saitama. "Why is he all the way down here...no, more importantly... how did he react to my attack!?"

Saitama stared at the S-Class hero who was still looking at him with a lost expression as he stood still in front of him. Saitama simply pointed at him as he complained, "Hey, what was that for?" only to receive no response.

Meanwhile, Flashy Flash was still deep in thought as he stared at Saitama. "Was it a fluke or did he really evade me... if so, should I attack again? No... I don't need to do that against someone who is much weaker than me! But if he really saw through my movements..." Flashy Flash tightened the grip on his Katana as his face expression grew serious, "I can't allow this!"

"Uhh, can you even talk?" asked Saitama after a few seconds had gone by with the unknown person in front of him continuing to stand still as he stared at him. Exasperated and annoyed, Saitama took a step forward as he said, "I'll beat you up." In that same instant, Flashy Flash lunged forward, yelling, "flashy slash!" as he brought his sword down on Saitama, who easily caught it in his hand. As the sword's momentum was stopped by Saitama catching it with his thumb and forefinger, his expression grew serious as he stared at Flashy Flash.

"You attacked me. So you're a monster too huh?" As Saitama began to clench one of his fists, Flashy Flash immediately waved his hands in front of him as he tried to stop him.

"W-wait! Look at me, do I look like a monster?"

Saitama paused and gave a child-like surprised expression as he stared at Flashy Flash. "Wait... you're the monster called fore-locks in the face!"

"NO! Don't make up names! I'm the S-Class hero Flashy Flash."

"But... you attacked me twice."

"My hand slipped," Flash responded lamely as he tried to justify himself. "More importantly, why are you even down here? It's extremely dangerous, the Monster Association has various strong individuals just waiting to attack anyone stupid enough to come into their layer. And even more, the Monster King is the boss behind the scenes, he is extremely strong..." Flashy Flash said before stopping as he saw that Saitama's face had changed from mock excitement to child-like giddiness.

"Wait... The Monster Association lives underneath me!? And there's a monster king!?" Saitama asked as he got closer to Flashy Flash. (Take note that when Orochi was introducing himself Saitama was not paying him any attention.)

Flashy Flash threw him a puzzled look before finding the right words for him. "You live in the abandoned Z city? You know you shouldn't be living here right?"

"I know, but if I see monsters I just beat them. Plus I get free rent... but hey, have you seen a Fubuki?" Saitama said as he put his fist down unto his open hand.

Flashy Flash frowned as he heard Saitama ask for Fubuki. "Wait... you mean to tell me that there are more people down here?"

Ignoring Flashy Flash's question, Saitama simply stared at him as he said, "Hey, you ignored my question, have you seen Fubuki?"

"No I have not... by Fubuki do you mean Blizzard of Hell? This is not a place for her. There are Dragon Level Threats everywhere. If you still want to see her alive we should hurry and try to find her," Flashy Flashy said almost worried as Saitama listened carefully. "You should try to make it up to the surface, I'll take care of rescuing Fubu-"

"No, I will take care of her, in the meantime, since you know more about this place than me why don't you take the lead?" Saitama said with a cheery expression. He patted Flashy Flash's back as if to show that he was being friendly, but it came out as forced and it started to annoy the S-Class Hero. But before Saitama continue, Flashy Flash created a sonic boom as he sped away.

"This guy is so annoying... This should be enough to get rid of him though!" though Flashy Flash as he smiled to himself.

"Finally, this is definitely a change of pace!" Saitama said as he had an absent-minded smile on his face, which only creeped out Flashy Flash more besides realizing Saitama could keep up. "It's time to kick Orochi's ass and get out of here with Fubuki!" (Again, Saitama doesn't know he already beat Monster King Orochi).

* * *

A wall seemed to swell, several cracks appearing on its surface before Puri Puri Prisoner was sent flying through it back-first. After rolling for a few hundred feet, Puri Puri Prisoner rolled to a stop as he lay on his back, a bloody mess who was struggling to breathe as he coughed up blood. Fighting to maintain consciousness, all he could do was stare up at the ceiling. "The difference in our strength... is this big? I-I can't... move! I need time to recover... but you won't allow that huh?" He mumbled softly as he tried his hardest to stare in the direction where he had been blown away. "So this is as far as I go..."

As that last word left his mouth, he heard a stomp as something heavy approached him from behind. Puri Puri Prisoner heard the heavy steps slowly approach him, fearing the worst before a dark muscular leg stopped next to his head. "Those muscles... could it be?" he wondered as he slowly craned his head to look up.

"Looks like your muscles have been badly damaged," Superalloy Darkshine said softly as he down at Puri Puri Prisoner's almost broken body. "Who did this to you?"

"Ga-Garou has appeared... and even though I've gotten much stronger, he easily defeated me."

"The Hero Hunter huh?" Darkshine said before looking at the hole where Puri Puri Prisoner had flown out from. His face grew deadly serious as he tried to adjust his eyes and see into the darkness where he saw faint movement. His suspicions about a figure being there were confirmed as he saw Garou slowly step out, his arms hanging loosely at his sides while his hands remained clenched in a claw-like manner. As he growled and snarled like a beast, he slowly walked towards them before falling on all fours and crawling in a haunting manner towards them.

"He's more powerful than we imagined... don't underestimate this teenager Darky. The other S-Class Heroes will definitely have a hard time fighting him one-on-one. Even someone with ridiculously overpowered strength like you... might still struggle against him..." Puri Puri Prisoner said softly as he saw that Garou continued to crawl towards him as he gained speed. "Although I am the weakest, I must let you know that I couldn't even scratch him!"

"Ok got it! Don't mind if I tag in, I'll crush Garou on your behalf!" Darkshine said confidently as he looked as the approaching beast in front of him. "You don't have to worry, he won't be able to even scratch me."

Puri Prisoner looked at Darkshine in appreciation and a loving smile as he said, "Darky..." softly.

"Hey! Don't gawk at me like that, my muscles are shriveling up! Now then, will this youngster be able to make me fight at full power?" Darkshine said as he slammed his fists together. Garou began running even faster, bounding and jumping off the walls and ceilings before slowing down to a walk as he stopped a few feet away from Darkshine. As they faced off, Puri Puri Prisoner began to shake as he saw the beast that Garou was as he stood menacingly in front of Darkshine. For some reason... a strong feeling of foreboding hit him as he both figures stand incredibly still while seizing each other up like predators. Could Darkshine really defeat him?

As Garou and Darkshine continued to stare at each other, a deep silence settled in the hallway they were in, the only sounds being faint shaking from battles far off in the monster association. As a little stone piece broke off from the ceiling and fell to the floor, Garou suddenly let out a menacing scream before propelling himself forward as Darkshine grunted, tensing every muscle in his body. As he met Garou's blows head-on. his muscle absorbed every impact while Garou continued to scream and flash step around him as he tried to find an opening.

Unaffected by Garou's attacks, Darkshine assumed a "crab" bodybuilding stance which made Garou bounce off him as he was sent flying backward to the end of the hallway. As he barely smashed against the wall, Darkshine followed up his attack by ramming his shoulder into Garou, sending him flying through several walls as Garou was sent flying past the room he had previously fought Puri Puri Prisoner in.

"Dark-chan," Puri Puri Prisoner said relieved as he saw that his fellow teammate was easily winning the battle.

As Darkshine began walking through the holes Garou had made as he flew through the walls, he saw Garou struggle to stand up as he pushed several stones off of himself. As he walked closer to him, Darkshine saw that Garou's demeanor was completely feral, acting as if he were an animal. "No matter how fast you are or how many tricks you have up your sleeves, you are powerless in front of trained muscles. You can't beat me," Darkshine warned.

In response, Garou simply sped up incredibly as he began to circle Darkshine several times in a few moments. As he began to accelerate and create afterimages of himself he attacked Darkshine from several sides as he rushed him with a kick. Darkshine, who was able to track his movements besides his speed, responded by swinging his arm around, which collided with Garou and sent him flying. Darkshine was no longer playing as he had a deadly serious face, which would let anyone know that he was not restraining his killing intent when it came to Garou. "Your monster play ends here," he mocked.

As Garou heard Darkshine's words, his pupil-less eyes closed before opening to reveal that his pupils were back. As Garou regained awareness of his surroundings, he flipped in the air before landing on his feet as he skidded for a second before halting. As Darkshine looked at Garou's successful attempt to stop in surprise, Garou noticed him. Wiping flood off his mouth, he slowly stood up straight as he took his surroundings in, his feral behavior now gone. "You are... Super Alloy Darkshine," he said as he recognized the S-Class hero in front of him. "But where did Orochi go... and what is this place? How did I get here?" Garou asked no one in particular before remembering the kid he had come to rescue. His memories were faint... but after getting cut down by Royal Ripper, he had re-entered the monster association base... he had killed Royal Ripper and saved the ugly kid he always ran into. But then... a giant dog had blown him down and he had fought Gyoro Gyoro and Orochi... "Where did that brat go, is he even alive?" he wondered.

Seeing that Garou was completely still and visibly lost in thought, Darkshine spoke up. "What's the matter?" he asked earnestly.

Garou didn't respond as he began to crack his neck and stretch as he started laughing. "Looks like I was fighting you in my sleep..."

"In your sleep? Hmph... don't make excuses, it's embarrassing. You can't rise up to the occasion?" Darkshine said as he began to walk towards Garou, his shadow soon looming over him.

Garou simply continued laughing as he stretched his arms behind him, all the while he stared at Darkshine. "Well, to be honest, I'm not a pretty sight in my sleep. I'm sorry I made you think you were gonna win!" Garou said with a sneer as his arms smoothly flowed in front of him as he mimicked Bang's Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist that he used on Garou when they last fought. His technique was a lot better than it had been before, and now he was more than ready to use it on this S-Class hero. As Garou took a stance, putting his arms flat in front of him with one in front of the other and with his feet spread apart, he studied Darkshine. Darkshine, adopting a deadly look, bulged out his muscles as he slid a leg behind him, before launching himself forward. As he flew at Garou, he pushed his fist forward, which Garou pushed to the side smoothly with his own hand before swinging his leg around and smashing it into Darkshine's face. As Darkshine went on his back hard, Garou followed by smoothly bringing his leg up and around before slamming it down unto Darkshine's head.

"This can't be all you got, is it?" Garou sneered as he jumped back, waiting for an immobile and surprised Darkshine to stand up from where he lay. "If I beat you Darkshine than this can prove my attack power can work against anyone."

In response, Darkshine simply crossed his arms and pushed off the floor with a clean jerk of his back. As he went spinning into the air sideways, he caught himself and landed on one foot before bringing the other one down with great force as he sent a tidal wave of stone towards Garou. "His whole demeanor has changed! And the coordination between all his muscles has improved dramatically..." he thought as he squared his feet. "Is the main event coming up next?"

As Garou fought to maintain his balance, Darkshine immediately clenched every muscle in his body, before creating another shockwave as he exploded off the floor towards Garou.

"If that attacks lands, it'll be instant death!" panicked Garou as he began to strike Darkshine with Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist. However, his attacks didn't do anything deter Darkshine as he easily plowed through Garou's defense. "Deflection... is impossible!?" thought Garou before Darkshine rammed him with his massive shoulder, breaking every single one of his ribs as he was sent flying through hundreds of rooms in mere seconds. As Garou continued to fly through several rooms, Darkshine continued his charge, not letting down as he smashed Garou into room after room until he thought he finally killed him. As he stopped his charge, Garou crashed into a giant pillar, which proceeded to bury him as he lay on the floor, presumingly dead. As Darkshine stood in front of him, he couldn't help but pitty Garou.

"You know," Darkshine began, "I've fought Silverfang himself before, just to measure just how strong I had gotten. Although I was the aggressor, Silverbang feat me up. I didn't suffer any damage but every single one of my attacks was repealed and I continued to be smashed against the ground over and over again." Darkshine flexed his arm as he held a fist in front of his own face, crushing something invisible in his own hand. "I know because I've experienced it... but you are still too green. The only reason you have survived so long is that you haven't come across me, Tatsumaki, King, Atomic Samurai, or Flashy Flash... if you had, you would have been destroyed." Darkshine glared at the rubble Garou lay under as he saw some stones fall off a hand that seemed to be reaching out of the rubble. "I don't know why you're so pissed that you started hunting us heroes, but you should know your place."

Hearing those words, Garou felt an intense anger course through his body, his only visible hand clenching hard into a fist before all the rubble on top of him exploded outwards. As several stones crashed against Darkshine, he didn't even react to them as he saw Garou slowly stand up, shaking off all the rocks that remained on him.

"I know those guys are strong," Garou spit out as he looked at Darkshine intensely. "It must be nice, being able to unleash violence on whoever and whatever and prove that you're right just by winning. That only means you've thrown away your kindness _hero," _Garou mocked as he grit his teeth together. "It all stinks... this stench of hypocrisy. You said some shit about me playing monster, but in reality, you guys are just playing the hero... and all of you are shit at it."

Darkshine slowly and cautiously put his guard up as he stared at Garou in disbelief. "He can still move? That tackles should have sustained a fatal injury..." he thought as Garou continued to talk.

"What pisses me off the most is that the shittier you are the more the public praises you!" Garou began to yell as he took a stance. His eyes seemed to glow with heat, the white of his bloodshot eye turning black as veins began to appear all over his neck and forehead. "This is why I fight! I'll put my life on the line to crush this false sense of justice!" As Garou lunched forward, his arms left a trail behind him as he used Water Streaming Rock Smash Fist. "You'll never stop my monster play!"

Expecting the attack, Darkshine tightened his guard as he began to feel Garou crash into him, delivering strike after strike as he tried to push past his guard. As he absorbed every single impact, Darkshine began to be pushed back as Garou began gaining ground with each relentless attack.

"...not a problem! My muscles can guard against any attack," Darkshine thought as he observed Garou through his guard. "I'll finish him off the second he stops attacking! But that said..." Darkshine began to slide back faster and faster as Garou began to jump left and right as he tried to find a weak spot in his guard. As he spun and continued to transition while delivering power blow after blow, Garou's eyes seemed to drill holes into Darkshine as his grit teeth revealed just how much effort he was putting into bringing him down. But something was definitely wrong... "Is he... getting faster?" Darkshine thought as he began to feel several impacts against his arms at the same time. As he tried to study Garou's movements, he began to notice that his arms and fists and legs were slowly becoming blurs as he began to accelerate the punishment he unleashed on the S-Class hero. "I'm not imagining things... he's getting faster with alarming momentum!" he noticed as even Garou's eyes seemed to move around his field of vision in smooth blurred movements.

"He's not stopping! He doesn't seem to want to stop!? It feels... as if dozens of martial artists were attacking me at the same time! He's like a tidal wave bearing down on me!" Darkshine began to think with increasing worry as he began to be pushed back faster and faster. As his eyes struggled to keep up with Garou's strikes, Darkshine grit his teeth in concentration before he felt a pang throughout his whole body. The world began to move more slowly with flashes of black and white as he stared at Garou relentlessly attacking him. "What's going on...for a second, the word _defeat_ crossed my mind!? It's not possible! I can't lose in a clash of physical bodies..."

Meanwhile, Garou continued to increase his attacks against Darkshine, his feet barely touching the ground as his attacks alone propelled him forward. "Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist in my left hand and leg... Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist on my right hand and leg... this is how he can be broken! Like both of those geezers joining forces and unleashing an incredible series of attacks, this incredible fortress of muscles can be torn apart without mercy!" Garou began to become a blur himself, the only thing visible being his glowing red eyes as he darted all around in front of Darkshine while delivering powerful blows. "This is something only a genius such as myself can do... something that no one else can even hope to do... to combine two powerful techniques in order to perform The Cross Fang Dragon Slayer Fist!" As Garou continued hit Darkshine over and over again, he began to push him straight through walls as they both gained momentum. Despite knowing he almost died... despite knowing he faced one of the strongest S-Class heroes... and despite knowing his foe was known for his incredible defense, Garou did not falter. And as his refusal to stop remained strong, his ability to grow exponentially from being pushed hard began to shine...

Seeing that Garou was not stopping, a now sweating Darkshine pulled a fist back as he grit his teeth while blocking Garou with one raised arm. "Don't get ahead of yourself! I still... haven't unleashed my full power!" he shouted as Garou tightened his eyes in concentration, pulling an arm back as he expected the attack. Without hesitation, Darkshine tightened every muscle in his body, his veins popping all over as he swung his arm towards Garou in a powerful jab. As an incredible amount of force went into his punch, Darkshine shouted, "SUPERALLOY BAZOOKA!"

In those brief moments, Darksine's world seemed to slow down once more as he saw his fist fly towards Garou, an incredible force of find trailing behind it as he expected it to smash Garou into pieces... as his muscles strained to put everything he had into that one punch, Garou met it head-on with his own fist. As both fists smashed into each other, an incredible shockwave pushed past both opponents as a tidal wave followed soon after with them being its origin. Along with the shockwave, a concussion of noise followed soon after, causing Darkshine to almost gasp as it brought him back into reality. As he watched, Garou's shirt was blown off as it left behind a swirl of a tattered mess, except... that which remained was definitely no fabric... and the skin underneath was not human. As his eyes moved up from Garou's now pearly white skin and black moving fabric, he noticed the black eyes with bright red orbs staring back at him. "W-what? A monster?" he wondered after looking at Garou for but an instant.

Unbeknownst to him, Garou's limiter was beginning to break...

In less time than it took Darkshine to simply look at him, Garou completely halted his momentum, using it for himself as he spun in place and rushed forward. As he saw Garou easily close the distance between them, Darkshine was unable to do anything as Garou struck his torso with the tip of his fingers with a flat hand as he connected with Darkshine's pressure points. As Darkshine was pushed off his feet, Garou followed up with a Whirlwind Water Stream Roaring Aura Sky Ripping Fist. As blood exploded from Darkshine's mouth, similarly, the entirety of rooms and halls behind him exploded too before his body was launched into its void. As flew aimlessly through the dark, he felt his body almost float as he began to fall through empty space. As his body finally came into contact with the floor, Darkshine continued coughing up blood as he tried to regain his senses.

"H-he really... he really used me as a stepping stone!"

Darkshine's thoughts were interrupted as he heard a figure land noisily in front of him as if it wanted to be heard clearly. "What's the matter Darkshine!? Giving up already?" Garou mocked victoriously. "I thought you were a hero! Aren't you supposed to stop my monster play?" Garou said with a sneer before his face morphed into a vicious scowl. "I'm still kicking."

Darkshine gasped as he once again caught sight of Garou, this time for more than an instant as Garou slowly walked towards him. Where his tight clothes used to be, a black-shadowy substance remained... Where his shirt was before, a swirl remained, half of what he could see was white skin and the other half was that same smooth, black mass. Where Garou's previous white and bloodshot eye was, only two black eyes with red-orange orbs stared back at him. And his hair... a blood-colored hair was now the only thing we could see with strands of black hair being in the mix as well. Garou, he wasn't human, was he? As he took all of that information in, Darkshine felt the fear settle in as his face showed just how much terror he felt.

Garou didn't allow him a moment of rest or thought as he suddenly disappeared, forcing Darkshine to stand up and put his guard up as he met it head-on... except this time Darkshine could feel every blow. As Garou's blows caused shockwaves to move around Darkshine's body, he broke his defense as he delivered various strikes unto Darkshine's face and torso. As he began to fight for his life, Darkshine began to try and punch Garou back, only to have the force of his own punches used against him as Garou used his momentum to deliver blows with more than twice the power. As Darkshine began losing his balance and was being pushed back, his fearful face could only stare at Garou as it saw him approach with killing intent.

"This guy, Garou is strong! So strong!" Darkshine panicked as his defense was completely destroyed. As he held his hands out randomly while trying to protect himself, Garou began to bully him as he unleashed punishment after punishment all over his body. Darkshine's fear only began to grow stronger and stronger as he couldn't even see Garou anymore, he could only feel the blows all around his own body. On the verge of fearful tears and uncontrollable terror, Darkshine randomly punched forward while hoping to connect a hit. As he cried out like a fearful kid while swinging his arm, Garou stopped it with one hand before swinging his leg around as it collided with Darkshine's face and driving it into the ground.

As Darkshine crashed into the floor, he felt unable to breathe as Garou rammed his knee into his throat while bringing his hands down in two powerful strikes. Sensing his victory, Garou grinned maniacally as was about to deafen Darkshine with double ear strikes... before stopping as he saw the terror and panic in Darkshine's eyes. As Garou remained on top of Darkshine with his hands a foot away from his face, he suddenly remembered something that was almost forgotten. A kid with white, spiky hair being bullied in a class... and then an ugly kid with black hair and snot coming out of his nose being bullied in some random street under the bright moonlight. With apprehension, Garou's bright red and black eyes settled on Darkshine's shaking, terrified face, before he was forced to jump back as Darkshine began to swing his fists wildly.

Standing up, his body trembling uncontrollably, Darkshine attempted to put his guard up weakly. It was obvious... he was terrified 'till the roots of his being and it had broken him. Garou lay crouched a few dozen feet away from him as he paused his relentless attacks. "Tch, what's with that wimpy look?" he wondered as he observed the shaking S-Class hero. "It's almost as if I'm bullying him. The evil I'm going to become... it's so much more-" Garou's body suddenly became rigid as every muscle in it began to contort. Gritting his teeth as he felt his bones began to crack, Garou collapsed as he dug his hands into the sand beneath him.

Noticing that something was wrong with Garou, Darkshine tentatively began to step forward as he reached out with a shaking hand. "H-hey... are y-you okay?" he asked with concern. As Garou looked up at him in pain, Darkshine noticed how the black mass that should have been his clothes was slowly but surely shifting around his body... "Is that causing his pain?" he wondered.

As Darkshine got a few feet near Garou, he suddenly stopped as a bright green sphere surrounded his body. As if it shocked him into reality, Darkshine began to hear cracks and tremors above him as the ceiling, with all the rooms and hallways began to fall through. As several giant stones began to fall around him, Darkshine looked down at Garou with worry, noticing that he was still on the floor struggling to fight something off. As more and more rubble began to fall, Darkshinepushed his hands against the barrier, which was now at least a dozen feet above the ground.

"Hey! The floors above are collapsing!" he shouted with worry as he warned Garou, who didn't respond. "Garou, it's not safe here! You'll be crushed if you don't get out of here!" Darkshine began to scream as he pounded on the psychic barrier which carried him higher and higher. "RUN!" As he rose over a hundred feet above Garou, all Darkshine could see was the young once-human-monster struggle before he was no longer visible under all the smoke and stone that continued to fall where they had just fought. Seeing that he could do nothing about it, Darkshine slowly began to slide in the sphere as he fell on his knees inside it while his hands remained on the wall. "N-No... Why did I even say that?" he asked defeated as he continued to rise higher and higher, all the while stone after stone continued to fall where the once-living Garou had been. As his body continued to shake, Darkshine lay inside the sphere in a fetal position as he waited to see where he would be taken. Surely nothing worse could await him than the monster he had just encountered...

* * *

"Are you sure this is where you last saw him?" Bomb asked Fubuki gently as he stared into the abyss that lay beneath where they stood. As if to test just how deep the darkness was, he kicked a rock off the floor ledge as he watched fall down and never making a sound.

Fubuki frowned as she tried to see where Saitama could have gone. His presence had been getting weaker and weaker as if he were rapidly largening the distance between them. "I'm positive this is where we fought the monster..." she said before noticing the enormous holes that had been melted into the stone rooms high above them, as well as over the large chasm they were in. Pointing at all the signs of battle, Fubuki turned to look at her group excitedly. "You see, I'm sure we're in the correct place!"

Bang simply nodded as he began to pat his back. "The good thing is that we know Saitama-Kun is fine, for a second I thought we'd have to deal with whoever could possibly defeat him-"

"It is highly unlikely that Saitama Sensei will ever lose to anyone," Genos cut in as he crouched down and inspected the ground. "Even what Blizzard of Hel- Fubuki says is true and they came across Orochi, he certainly must have defeated him."

Bomb shook his head as he stared back at the group with his arms crossed. "Wait, so what are we doing down here still? If Saitama possibly-"

"Definitely..." Genos said as he began scanning the floor.

"ok, definitely," Bomb corrected himself, "then this means we no longer have to stay. The boss is defeated! All that we can do now is look for Garou and bring him in, but with the beasts that are down here, who knows if he's alive..." As if they all knew Bomb had said something wrong, Fubuki, Genos, and Bomb looked at Bang to await his response. He was looking down at his feet before looking at them, a deep sadness in his eyes.

"I know he is still alive and that he is still down here. I trained him... and I can sense that we are close to finding him."

Fubuki coughed and smiled nervously as the sound attracted everyone's attention. "Don't forget we're looking for Saitama too, we can't leave without him."

Genos suddenly stood up as he wiped his hands on his jeans. "If that is the case then finding King is also our priority. Although master will be fine, there are still several cadres besides Rover who still lurk in this base. If my data is correct, then most of them are strong enough to defeat the majority of S-Class heroes."

Fubuki's eyes opened wide as she heard Genos. Before she could ask him what he knew about the monsters who resided within the Monster Association, she hesitated as Geno's eyes began to ignite. Noticing the same thing, Bang and Bomb forgot their casual postures and took a stance as they looked at the other side of the chasm where several dozens of monsters stood watching them.

"Dammit!" Genos said as he raised his hands up, "I can sense a few hundred life forms approaching us, with several more on the back!"

"Hundred!?" Fubuki whined as she looked behind them to see more monsters coming out from the darkness of the hall they had just walked through. Before she could begin attacking them, Bang gently touched her shoulder before running past her with his brother in tow.

"We'll take care of the monsters closest to us! You can take care of the monsters who are farther away with Genos, we've got your back!" he shouted as he and Bomb began to obliterate everything past them.

Fubuki immediately ran next to Genos, who was rapidly firing incineration blast after blast as he began to burn any monster that was brave enough to jump the giant gap between them. As more and more monsters began to pour in, Fubuki began to use the remains of the monsters Genos burned and chunks of stone from different walls to shred any incoming monsters. As they destroyed anything that approached them, Genos and Fubuki continued to switch positions as they attempted to destroy any monster who tried to slip past the other's blind spot. As Fubuki started to look at Genos in appreciation, she noticed a large pincer close in on him from, which she immediately stopped with her psychic powers and crushing them. As she pulled down the giant monster that had just tried to skewer Genos from above, Genos punched straight through its skull and incinerated it from the inside. Using the flames that escaped through the monster, Fubuki funneled it and sent it towards the incoming monsters.

"Thanks for the assist!" Genos yelled as he continued blasting wave after wave of monsters. Despite how many Bang and Bomb continued to destroy and how many Genos and Fubuki tore apart, there seemed to be no ending to it! As Fubuki began to feel slightly exhausted from her previous fights and all the monsters continuing to rush them, she grit her teeth as she yelled at Genos.

"Just how many more are there!?"

"We're too old to do this forever!" added Bomb as drilled giant holes into a Bear-looking thing.

Using the blades from his arms, Genos began to unleash his machine gun blows as he intercepted any monster who successfully made it across as he tried to shield Fubuki. Grunting as he continued cutting down monster after monster, Genos suddenly stopped as his eyes widened. "There are still several hundred! But I can also sense a giant lifeform approaching from the bottom of the ravine!"

Before Fubuki, Bang, or Bomb could response, the floor beneath them began to shake as something massive began to move. As several giant cracks began to appear, all the monster trying to attack them suddenly stopped as they also didn't know what was going on. Fubuki, who was closest to the edge, noticed something move from within the darkness of the giant chasm... as a monster tried to take advantage of her distraction, he lunged at her at amazing speed from the opposite side of the giant gap before a weird substance caught him mid-air. Screaming as he tried to fight off whatever had grabbed it, the monster was suddenly silenced as the goo completely covered his body, snapping him like a twig before splitting dozens of times as it grabbed on to several monsters on the other side of the chasm. Before anyone could anyone react, a tidal wave of the same substance leaped out from the darkness, immediately enveloping every single monster as it began to seemingly absorb them and grow in size. As she saw the goo approaching the place where they were at, Fubuki immediately raised her hands above her as she shielded Genos, Bang, and Bomb from it. As soon as the substance crashed against her psychic barriers, it pushed past her as it began consuming every monster beyond where Bang and Bomb stood.

"What the hell is this thing!?" Bang shouted as he saw the goo continue to slam against the shield covering him.

"Whatever it is, I don't think we want to touch it!" Bomb shouted back.

As Fubuki continued to guard each and every single one of them, she noticed Genos slam his arms together, uniting them as he pointed it at the hallway past Bang and Bomb.

"Our best bet is to create an exit route opposite of where this thing came from!" Genos pointed out as Fubuki looked at him in surprise. "Fubuki... lower down the psychic barrier on my mark!"

Nodding in agreement, Fubuki continued to keep the gooey substance surrounding them as she waited for Genos' mark. As he screamed, "NOW!" she released all of her barries before pulling Bang and Bomb towards her as Genos unleashed a spiral of incineration into the hall, destroying all of the substance as the rest of it pulled back to the main mass in the middle of the chasm. As they turned to face it, Fubuki turned to face it as she unleashed a wave of psychic energy to hold it back. Whatever this thing was... it was strong!

As Bang and Bomb closed in on her, she was suddenly surrounded by a green psychic barrier which forced her to stop her assault as it began to carry her up. Noticing what was going on, Genos ran to them, looking up as he began to see the floor above start to crack and shatter.

"Fubuki! What are you doing!"

"This isn't me... my sister must be the one doing this! She's releasing an incredible amount of energy!" Fubuki responded as she tried to find him. Bang and Bomb shifted in place so that Fubuki could look at him from within the bubble. "Genos! You have to grab my hand and enter the barries before the whole bases crushed you!" she screamed as she stretched her hand out towards him. As Genos tried to reach them, the psychic sphere continued to rise faster and faster. As he was a few feet away from it, the giant liquid/solid mass slammed into him, sending him crashing down as Bang, Bomb, and Fubuki looked down with worry.

"Young man you have to get out of there!" Bomb shouted as he tried to push against the barrier to no avail.

"Genos-Kun!" Bang added as he held his hands out against the sphere.

As she heard them shout, Fubuki grabbed on to both of their hands as she held them together. "You have to grab on to me, my sister probably only shielded me since we have a strong psychic connection! If you let go you risk phasing right through it!" Looking down at Genos who was now doing his best to fight the giant mass threatening to absorb him, Fubuki could only tighten her grip on the Martial Artists' hands. "Genos, you better live! I'll be waiting for you alongside Saitama!"

Giving her a tight and genuine smile, Genos simply nodded as he sliced an appendage of the mass that reached towards him. "Don't worry about me! Just get out of here, I'll keep it busy!"

Rising faster and faster, Fubuki, Bang, and Bomb soon lost track of Genos as the chasm began to cave in on itself, several rooms sliding and being dumped into its core as smoke began to rise. However, Bang, who was still watching the spot where they had last seen Genos fighting noticed the smoke shift as it began to move. As he squeezed his brother's and Fubuki's hand, they all turned and looked down as a massive appendage flew out of the smoke. As it began to close the distance between them by matching their high speeds, the heroes began to worry Genos had been killed.

Deep down below the smoke, Genos was continuing to cut and slice at the goo as he saw that only a small portion of it was focusing on him as the rest went after Fubuki and the others. "Oh no you don't!" he shouted as he brought his hands together, charging an incineration blast as he continued to dodge the bioform's attacks. As he was finally caught by an appendage, he smiled, before he unleashed his Super Spiral Incineration Cannon. The goo which was catching up to Fubuki and the two brothers, let out a shriek as it suddenly pulled back, the huge incineration blast visible as it pushed it away from them. As the biomass collapsed back into itself and fell into the smoke once again, a lot of it burned off but the rest regrouped as it floated in front of Genos. Cutting off the appendage that held him and landing on the floor, Genos stood valiantly as he began to see the goo begin to cover the whole chasm as it tried to find more life forms to consume. As it sensed Genos' energy signals, it began to loom over him as several different parts of its strange body began to form into spikes.

Glaring at the being as it tried to analyze it for weak points, Genos withdrew his blades as he began to light up his palms with incineration. "It's probably too early for me to use the new upgrades Dr. Kuseno implanted me with. If it turns out I cannot defeat this monster with my normal abilities... then I'll resort to killing it with the span of the ten seconds I have using my full power," he thought as his eyes began to glow with energy. "Whatever it takes, you will not escape me!" he shouted before rushing forward as he met the monster substance head-on.

* * *

As Fubuki, Bang, and Bomb continued to rise towards the surface, they could not believe their eyes as every floor above them was pushed apart to allow them through. With thunderous cracks and explosions of stone, they finally reached the surface, where the moonlight was the only thing that could be seen. It had only been a few hours since they entered the Monster Association base, so the night and its darkness was the only thing that could be seen as it swallowed everything. Before they could gather their bearings, the earth beneath them began to shake as something enormous began to cave the floor upwards. The heroes could only look in wonder as several more orbs began to appear with each S-Class hero inside them. First Darkshine, then Child emperor, Sweet Mask, and finally, Atomic Samurai. But that wasn't what was causing the trembling earthquake beneath them... as Fubuki's eyes began to widen in disbelief, she witnessed the Monster Association slowly come to the surface. Several floors and rooms were intact as they continued to rise, the base seemingly reaching for the sky as a figure soon appeared in front of it. As the being emitted a green glow, Fubuki immediately realized that her sister was the one pulling out the Monster Association base as she flew hundreds of feet above the ground. Soon, giant figures and chasms began to be created as the size of the Monster Association easily began to dwarf Z city. Putting out great amounts of Psychic output, Tatsumaki was easily pulling out at least a mile of the base with her... but with what reason?

As if in response, multiple bright white beams erupted out of the top of the monster association base as they slowly moved in a spiral before converging into one beam at the peak of the monster base. At the top, a giant, glowing figure emerged as the base continued to rise. Watching closely, Fubuki couldn't help but notice that it looked so much like Psychos (the real human version of her.) "That form isn't human..." Fubuki thought before Psychos herself also rose, revealing a giant monster with several arms on each side of its body holding a spear. Whatever it was, Fubuki could tell it was powerful. It's aura... it reminded her so much of the monster Saitama had faced...

Fearing that the psychic connections she might have felt earlier could have meant Saitama struggling during their battle, Fubuki simply watched as the earth around her began to crumble and rise. Whatever was about to happen, she knew that the heroes were going to struggle against Orochi and whatever Psychos had become... let alone the different monsters who exploded out of the ground as they landed next to the S-Class heroes. Their demeanor and aura were completely different from the fodder monsters she had killed before. Only a few monsters could land next to beaten S-Class heroes on the verge of death while wearing smug looks on their faces. What they were facing now... were the cadres and the Monster King.


End file.
